The Hegeman / Cook + Fox
The Hegeman, designed by Cook + Fox Architects, is a residential community in Brownsville, Brooklyn that provides housing for low-income and formerly homeless individuals. Developed by Common Ground Community – an innovative non-profit whose mission is to end homelessness – the Hegeman Residence will also provide a range of on-site social services in a model known as supportive housing. For a little bit of context, Brownsville has the highest concentration of NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) developments in New York City. A wave of arson in the 1970s destroyed most of the residential structures; Brownsville is just one of the many neighborhoods that were affected. The urban renewal that followed rebuilt many homes and designated them as low-income housing. The community has had many problems since associated with poverty, including crime and drug addiction, as well as low test scores and high truancy rates in the education system.
More after the break.
modeLab Parametric Design Workshop
Studio Mode / modeLab is putting on a two-day intensive parametric design workshop July 7-8 which will introduce participants to the fundamental concepts and essential skills necessary for effectively designing with Grasshopper for Rhinoceros. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, participants will explore concepts such as object attributes/parameters, data types, data structures, composing algorithms, as well as the creation and manipulation of computational geometry through parametric modeling interfaces. workshop curriculum will additionally cover techniques for Ccntrolling the flow of data via functions, conditional statements/logical gates, sampling data, and user interface objects. For more information, please visit here.
modeLab Screening Workshop
Taking place the weekend of July 21-22, Studio Mode / modeLab is putting on the Screening Workshop which will focus on the performative capacity of screening devices to regulate light and view while simultaneously producing both ornamental as well as material effects. The workshop will make extensive use of our digital fabrication equipment, coupled with parametric patterning techniques in Grasshopper for Rhinoceros. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, participants will explore issues pertaining to the coordination of fabricated parts through unique object attributes, baking objects with user-defined attributes, nesting optimization with Rhinonest for Grasshopper, as well as the precise creation and manipulation of computational geometry through parametric modeling interfaces. For more information, please visit here.
The Realization of the “Cosmic Quilt” / The Principals
Remember the “Cosmic Quilt” kickstarter campaign we published a few weeks ago? Well, it was a success! With the help 20 students from the Art Institute of New York, The Principals were able to construct a reactive architectural environment just in time for the New York Design Week that took place May 19-21.
Continue after the break for more.
Facebook Fans Unite to Re-name a Brooklyn Park “Adam Yauch Park”
Locals in the Brooklyn Heights community have banded together behind a common cause: honoring Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, the much-loved, Brooklyn-raised Beastie Boy who succumbed to cancer earlier this month.
Residents created a Facebook group encouraging users to sign the petition to rename Squibb Park after Yauch; however, Beastie Boys Member Adam Horovitz and his wife Kathleen Hanna have slightly different wishes. As Hanna told the Brooklyn Heights Blog: “I just wanted to let you know that Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz has already begun working with the Parks Commissioner to fix up and rename State Street Park where Yauch actually played as a kid.”
In response, the Facebook group has shifted its support towards achieving that end. In their words: “The Brooklyn Heights Blog community ENTHUSIASTICALLY supports this idea. We have updated the Facebook page to reflect this and encourage all those who agree, their friends, family and friends of friends to continue to “Like” the page and share our strong desire to make Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights a reality.”
Story via Pop Crush
modeLab Approach Workshop
Approach, a two-day parametric design workshop June 23-24, put on by Studio Mode / modeLab, will introduce participants to advanced topics in Grasshopper for Rhinoceros. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, participants will iteratively engage a diverse set of parametric approaches to case-study design scenarios, each requiring advanced creation and manipulation of Data Structures and/or the extension of Grasshopper’s Parametric Workflow. The collection of case-studies will furthermore provide a mechanism to critically assess the value in each approach relative to workflow, best practices, linear versus non-linear design processes, and opportunities for modular re-use in other design contexts. For more information, please visit here.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center Opens to the Public
Accompanied by Mayor Bloomberg yesterday in an early morning ribbon cutting, New York City-based practice Weiss/Manfredi celebrated the grand opening of the new Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center. Embedded into an existing hillside at the Garden’s northeast corner, the sinuous glass building appears as a seamless extension to the existing topography as it leads into the 52-acre garden. In addition, the $28-million Visitor Center incorporates numerous environmentally sustainable features—most notably a 10,000-square-foot living roof—that are aimed toward earning LEED Gold certification. The project has been recognized by the New York City Public Design Commission with an Award for Excellence in Design.
Continue reading after the break for the architects’ description.
PointCrowd Workshop Giveaway
With the forthcoming release of Rhino 5.0, RhinoScript will be moving to a new syntax: Python. The new, more intuitive interface for manipulating Rhino from the inside gives us the opportunity to quickly and easily create a wide variety of complex systems based on simple rules that are easily implemented with no prior programming experience.
We introduce RhinoScript for absolute beginners, including the basics of programming techniques (variables, flow control, etc.) as well as the working knowledge of how Rhino represents geometrical objects such as points, curves, surfaces and even text. We then move quickly into techniques for automation and generative design which address the specific ways in which each participant can use Rhino.Python.
modeLab Scripted Design Workshop
Studio Mode / modeLab is putting on the Scripted Design Workshop June 9-10, which will introduce participants to the fundamental concepts for designing with programs in Python for Rhinoceros. As the next installment in the coLab Series, they are welcoming Skylar Tibbits | SJET to modeLab as the lead instructor for this workshop. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, participants will be introduced to concepts such as syntax, data types, and variables as well as the creation and manipulation of computational geometry through the Rhinoscript/RhinoCommon libraries. Workshop curriculum will additionally cover techniques for storing and retrieving multi-dimensional data, as well as controlling the flow of scripts via functions, conditional statements, iteration, and recursion. For more information, please visit here.
Robot Workshop Competition Winners
suckerPUNCH recently announced the winners of their Robot Workshop competition. The past few years have seen an exciting rise in the fascination with robotics. Simultaneously, the ability to develop and build robots capable of complex and experimental applications has become easier and more accessible to the general public. From hardware like Arduino to open source programming like Processing, there now exist inexpensive and even free ways to dabble with robotics. With the site located in an open lot in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the Robot Workshop will be a place people can come to work on their projects, utilizing shop facilities while simultaneously interacting with fellow robot enthusiasts. More images and descriptions on the winning proposals after the break.
Kickstarter: Cosmic Quilt – Interactive Installation + Student Workshop / The Principals
The Principals, a Brooklyn-based practice that work on industrial design and interactive environments, are posing a question to the design community: What would it be like if the environment we inhabit responded to our present in an active way? What if we shift the scale of the way in which our devices operate to the way our buildings function? The questions posed by The Principals are the considerations of a project called Cosmic Quilt that is planned to be exhibited on Design Week 2012 on May 19-21. In order to create a mock-up of this type of space, the group is enlisting the help of 20 students from the Art Institute of New York and the help of financial backer’s through Kickstarter.
More on the planned project after the break.
modeLab Parametric Design Workshop
In response to the overwhelming interest in the April Parametric Design Workshop, this workshop, another intensive parametric design workshop, will be held in Brooklyn during the weekend of April 28-29, 2012 by Studio Mode / modeLab. It will consist of a series of instructional lectures, open work sessions, and guided exercises, beginning with an introduction to Algorithmic Processes and Computational Geometry.
In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, this workshop will engage both the conceptual as well as technical domains of applied parametric design. Rhino, in conjunction with the parametric modeling plug-in Grasshopper, offers the possibility to explore parametric and computational design with unprecedented fluidity. Leveraging this capacity, we have structured this workshop around a series of design strategies and case-study exercises with the capacity to generate and control degrees of variation within fields of entities. Emphasis will be placed on workflows that utilize constraint-based design, visualization techniques, and environmental influencers to discover novel and inventive design solutions. For more information, please visit here.
modeLab Parametric Design Workshop
This workshop is a two-day intensive parametric design workshop by Studio Mode / modeLab to be held in Brooklyn during the weekend of April 07-08, 2012. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, this workshop will engage both the conceptual as well as technical domains of applied parametric design.
Rhino, in conjunction with the parametric modeling plug-in Grasshopper, offers the possibility to explore parametric and computational design with unprecedented fluidity. Leveraging this capacity, we have structured this workshop around a series of design strategies and case-study exercises with the capacity to generate and control degrees of variation within fields of entities. Emphasis will be placed on workflows that utilize constraint-based design, visualization techniques, and environmental influencers to discover novel and inventive design solutions. For more information, please visit here.
Pratt Institute presents two Public Exhbitions on the Work of Theoharis David
Tonight in Brooklyn, New York – Architect, alumnus and longtime Pratt Architecture Professor Theoharis David, FAIA, will deliver a lecture which will be introduced by visionary architect Lebbeus Woods reflecting on David’s 43 years as a teacher through the work of his former students, many of whom have gone on to become accomplished architects and teachers. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception for “Built Ideas: A Life of Teaching, Learning, and Action,” an exhibition of models, photos, and concept drawings by David that will be on view at The School of Architecture through March 30. The Pratt’s Department of Exhibitions are also presenting “An Architect Drawing,” an exhibition of drawings and texts from David’s architectural experiences through September 28.
Tonight’s lecture is open to the public; however please note that seating priority is reserved for members of the Pratt community at 5:30PM and members of the public will be admitted at 5:50PM. Continue reading for more information.
Pratt Institute 2012 Spring Lecture Series
Globally recognized for its distinguished academic reputation and one of the world’s most prestigious independent colleges, Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture will present their spring 2012 lecture series from February 13 through April 9, 2012 at the Institute’s Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. The lectures are free and open to the public; however, seating priority will be given to current students with Pratt identification. More information on the event after the break.
“Building Intelligence Project” Think Tank
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) will present the Columbia Building Intelligence Project (C-BIP) sixth International Think Tank on February 24, 2012, at the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn, New York.
Leading educators, architects, engineers, fabricators, contractors, owners, and other industry experts will gather to explore solutions that could change the building industry for the better as part of the Columbia Building Intelligence Project (C-BIP). More information on the event after the break.
In Progress: Barclays Center / SHoP
We have been keeping close watch on the progress of Barclays Center, SHoP’s 650,000+ stadium for Brooklyn at Atlantic Yards. The project has an interesting history as the client, Bruce Ratner, originally looked to Gehry to design an urban solution and iconic image for the 22 acre site, prior to teaming with Ellerbe Becket and SHoP. As we’ve reported earlier, SHoP’s response has developed to become a sweeping pre-fabricated volume, with a perforated latticework steel skin and a transparent ground level. Photographer Roger Edwards has shared some recent photos with us of the construction process as the building is quickly beginning to take shape.
Check out more photos after the break.
modeLab Agent Forms Workshop
Studio Mode / modeLab is pleased to announce the modeLab 2012 Spring Workshop Series. The series starts off with the Agent Forms, a two-day intensive design and programming workshop to be held in Brooklyn during the weekend of February 04-05.
In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, this workshop will interrogate agent-based simulation and strategies for simple, low-level objects to generate higher order, dynamic, and visually rich forms. They will cover technical programming concepts including Control, Modularity, and Development while incrementally building the complexity of our objects and the relationships established across class contexts. Furthermore, they will utilize the power of the Processing environment and its to capacity to compute, visualize, and capture the behavior of large populations of agents. For more information, please visit here.
Green Hotel in Williamsburg / Oppenheim Architecture + Design
Oppenheim Architecture + Design recently won the international competition to design a new hotel in Brooklyn, NY. A third pillar of the Williamsburg Bridge to emerge after 108 years. Their design of the Williamsburg hotel attempts to capture the essence of this vibrant neighborhood. Adjacent to both the Williamsburg Bridge and the historic Williamsburg Savings Bank, the building expresses itself as three dramatically proportioned, rectilinear volumes of varied height and materiality. Soaring high above the neighborhood, the hotel becomes the third pillar of the bridge, while serving as an archetypical tower to the domed basilica of the historical bank.
Sustainability was once again an important issue for Oppenheim Architecture + Design. The hotel will have geothermal, wind, and solar power generation, along with other resource saving strategies, for which they achieved Platinum LEED rating. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Brooklyn Night Bazaar / JDS
Just in time for the holidays, the Brooklyn Night Bazaar will return to a Williamsburg warehouse the 15th through 17th of December. The Bazaar will re-imagine the sights, sounds and smells of traditional markets and will be filled with independent vendors selling artwork, accessories, and furniture, along with great music and food. Our friends from Danish firm JDS will be designing the master plan for the Bazaar and different furniture pieces after the firm captured the attention of the Bazaar organizers with their innovative ski jump in Norway.
More about the bazaar after the break.
Amplifying Creative Communities: North Brooklyn
The DESIS Lab (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability) at Parsons The New School for Design presents Amplifying Creative Communities in NYC: North Brooklyn from November 7–20 at Arts@Renaissance. This exhibition and workshop series, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation’s New York City Cultural Innovation Fund, are part of a two-year, design-driven initiative aimed at helping neighborhoods and communities to support social innovations that create a more sustainable New York City. These activities range from healthy and local food initiatives, to environmental efforts, alternative modes of transportation, and sharing economies such as co-housing, food cooperatives, and bartering. For more information about this exhibition and workshop series, please visit here.
