By Kim Velsey 6/06/12 8:20pm

dreams and visions

Joseph Wood's winning vision is just dreamy (Civitas)

Is the East River Esplanade the New High Line?

If you can craft the hottest park ever from a mile of old rail track, imagine what you could do with a park that spans more than 60 East River blocks.

Right now the esplanade that reaches from 60th to 125th Streets is a bland stretch of pot-holed concrete wedged between the river and the FDR. But what if there were gondolas? And inland canals integrating the Upper East Side and East Harlem? Or a web of boardwalks stretching out into the water? Bridges over the FDR? Kayaking through Hell’s Gate?

We doubt that the city will adopt any of the eight fantastical winners that emerged from the “Reimagining the Waterfront” design competition sponsored by the civic group Civitas, but it would be awesome if they did. Read More

By Matt Chaban 2/21/12 10:11am

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Lights, camera, Queens Plaza! (ArchPaper)

Will Queens Plaza Become the New Times Square?

It was a big deal when JetBlue decided to move to Long Island City two years ago. The air carrier founded here would not be splitting town, and it would even be boosting a nascent business district that has never done much beyond the Citi back offices despite the one-stop subway ride to Midtown. But it turns out there might also be implications for the skyline.

No, JetBlue is not building a big new tower, it is still moving into an eight-story loft building beside the Queensborough Bridge. But there are plans for a big blue sign on the roof, a 40-footer. That is bigger than the GE sign atop Rockefeller Center, and that is kind of the point. “When complete, it will be easily seen from the east side of Manhattan across the river,” the airline writes on its corporate blog, BlueTales. Read More

By Sarah Hucal 10/18/11 4:27pm

Dizzying Designs

9 Photos

Hypar Pavilion designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with FXFOWLE

From Hyper Sleek to Ultra Sustainable, The Municipal Art Society Honors Best New Architecture

Each year the Municipal Art Society votes on the most innovative architecture and urban design projects in the city.  Tonight at the MASterworks awards ceremony, the Oscars of Architecture—or at least the Tribeca Film Festival of the Architecture—will ceremoniously be presented to five creative projects.  Among the numerous nominees were many of New York’s most visionary architects, and while only five projects could win all contributed to the vibrancy of New York’s cityscape. Read More