Bartice

New York YIMBY reports the good news that "on Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved changes to the atrium of the Ford Foundation Building at 320 East 43rd Street." Gensler is overseeing the upgrades to the 1967 building designed by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, which address code and accessibility issues. Since the needed "asbestos abatement requires the removal of all living things," according to Alexandra Lange at Curbed, the famous one-third-acre atrium garden designed by Dan Kiley will be replanted. Miami's Raymond Jungles is in charge of that work, and here are some existing and proposed views of the atrium garden. (Images are via YIMBY; click any image to view as a slideshow, recommended).

Existing:

Proposed:


Existing:

Proposed:


Existing:

Proposed:


Comparison of the before and after views shows more trees and low plantings in the latter, which should enable more visibility across the terraced atrium. This is aligned with the intention of bringing the atrium garden closer to what Kiley originally intended. In developing his design, Kiley told the Ford Foundation frankly it would be an experiment, and in turn many of the plantings failed, leading eventually to the current dense crop of trees and plants. These images (also via YIMBY) illustrate how Jungles will transform the garden into something aligned with Kiley's original design:





Upgrades are expected to be completed in 2018. In the meantime, visit YIMBY for the full LPC Submission.

A gadget that takes over one of the most annoying household tasks

With all the new smart home gadgets available these days to do things that we never really wanted a robot to do in the first place, like confusingly collect all our data and/or spy on us, it's about time something came along that alleviates one of the genuine burdens of modern life: resetting the internet router when it goes out. It may sound like we're being sarcastic, but there is something that is legitimately so annoying about trudging out of your bedroom when the internet goes out, hunching down to wherever your router is hidden, and then doing the same thing five minutes later when it still isn't working. And there's no reason to, because routers are perfectly capable of resetting themselves with the help of this smart plug from MutiNet that, when "it detects an outage in your internet service ... power cycles your Wi-Fi router or broadband modem every five minutes until the internet starts working again." Smart home tech may be making us lazier, but this is one we'll gladly acquiesce to.

• ResetPlug for Wi-Fi routers tries turning it off and on again [The Verge, via Gizmodo]

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This little tube could really come in handy after a natural disaster

We are not particularly worried about the world suddenly ending, although perhaps we should be. But even so, we can admire this very efficiently designed survival tube from Nendo and Sugita Ace, which fits a bevy of survival items into a case that's smaller than a standard umbrella. And that includes a poncho, so you don't even need an umbrella. And the tube itself is waterproof and can act as a flotation device. Here's everything that's inside of it:

1. A radio that you can also use to charge your smart phone.

2. A poncho.

3. A lantern (that you can charge with the radio).

4. A foil pouch of drinking water, with a cap that functions as a cup.

5. Miscellaneous case—you decide!

6. Bonus survival item: a whistle, to alert other survivors of your presence.

• This Minimal Tube Has Everything You Need to Survive a Natural Disaster [Spoon & Tamago]

When cries from the baby monitor wake you in the middle of the night, do you run to your baby's room or let your little one cry it out? Parents who feel strongly about tough love may rethink their methods after learning the story behind this beautiful photo of a mother sleeping in her daughter's crib. Michigan-based photographer Dayna Mager posted the picture on her Facebook wall, which has gone viral for good reason.

Her husband Matt snapped the shot of Dayna and their 5-month-old daughter, Luella, when he found them sleeping in her crib after coming home from work. In her caption, Dayna wrote that she remembered the promise she made to Luella after being so deeply moved by a missionary's story at a worship concert she and Matt once attended. "Yes, I climbed in the crib in hopes to soothe my screaming, teething, blushed faced, and tear soaked little girl."

The missionary spoke about visiting a nursery in a Ugandan orphanage, where he saw more than 100 cribs with babies. Astounded by the complete silence, he asked why he didn't hear a single cry, in which the host replied, "After about a week of them being here, and crying out for countless hours, they eventually stop when they realize no one is coming for them . . ."

That was the moment that changed Dayna entirely. "I broke. I literally could have picked up pieces of my heart scattered about the auditorium floor. But instead, it stirred in me a longing, a hunger." She wrote:

"We came home, and that night as Luella rested her tiny little 10lb body against mine and we rocked, I made a promise to her. A promise that I would always come to her . . . We will show her through our tears and frustrations at times, that it is okay to cry, and it's OK to feel. That we will always be a safe place, and we will always come to her."

Dayna shared on HuffPost Parents how the missionary's life-changing story has made her "cherish even the sleepless nights and scream tantrums." And with 62,000 reactions and almost 23,000 shares, Dayna's photo and words have clearly struck a chord with other parents.

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It's got a cute porch, yard, and breakfast nook

Location: Portland, Oregon

Price: $799,000

Over in Portland, where $300K gets you a cute "urban cabin," an equally adorable Craftsman bungalow has hopped on the market. This 1913-built home is a lot bigger at 3,695 square feet and comes thoroughly updated with modern appliances, extensive built-ins, including a charming breakfast nook (of which we're big advocates.) The three-story floor includes five bedrooms, a bonus "landing room" on an upper level, as well as a large finished basement. With verdant plantings all over the 0.11-acre property, the covered front porch and paved backyard offer delightful, lush views even on a smaller lot.

• 1434 SE Lambert St [Zillow]
• 18 of the Most Drop-Dead Gorgeous Houses for Sale in 2015 [Curbed]

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Electronic Arts has released the announcement trailer for Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, a mobile collectible card-based strategy game that pits superhero plants against zombies. The mobile game is currently being tested in select regions and will become available worldwide in late 2016.

Collect hundreds of characters, including new roster favorites from Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 like Super Brainz, Z-Mech, Citron, and Rose, and adventure through an all new PvZ Universe with a unique, comic-style narrative. Pick your favorite hero, assemble your team, and use your heroic skills to outwit your opponents in battle.
Battle and adventure by yourself against AI in the single player campaign, or battle against other players in real-time multiplayer! Challenge your friends or test your powers and strategy against the rest of the world in casual or ranked multiplayer battles – all in real time. Complete Daily Quests to earn rewards to expand your roster of Heroes and sidekicks.

In adventure mode, lead your favorite plant and zombies on an epic missions to battle and take down all opposing Heroes across locations as zany and diverse as the Heroes who inhabit them. Experience the story of PvZ Heroes via comic-styled story sequences revealed as your adventure progresses. Use the adventure mode to one your skills and fine-tune your strategy, experimenting with different heroes and powerful teammate combinations along the way.

images via iTunes

If you opt for Times New Roman on your résumé, then you may as well show up to the interview in sweatpants. At least that is what some experts say. The classic font is said to be one to avoid these days, with modern ones like Helvetica and Proxima Nova edging out more antiquated styles. Bloomsberg asked type experts to weigh in on what job candidates should be using, and they had some pretty strong opinions on what works and, more importantly, what doesn't.

Do Use:

1. Helvetica. There is a resounding vote from the experts for this one. "Helvetica is beautiful," said Matt Luckhurst, who is the creative director at Collins in San Francisco. Brian Hoff, creative director of Brian Hoff Design, added that the font is "so no-fuss, it doesn't really lean in one direction or another. It feels professional, lighthearted, honest."
2. Proxima Nova. "I never met a client that didn't like that typeface," Hoff told Bloomberg. The font does not come free, but because of how positively it is viewed in the professional world, it may be worth the cost to upgrade to the typeface if you are applying to a job at a more formal company or for a higher-up position.
3. Garamond. This font is easy to read, compact, and simple.

Avoid:

1. Times New Roman. This may come as shock to all the traditionalists and postgrads out there, but the usage of Times New Roman has begun to be seen by some as lazy. "It's telegraphing that you didn't put any thought into the typeface that you selected," Hoff said. "It's like putting on sweatpants." Definitely not what you want your potential employer's first impression to be.
2. Zapfino. This should probably be obvious, but any font that resembles cursive should be avoided. They can be hard to read, overly fancy, and generally inappropriate for a professional setting.
3. Courier. "You don't have a typewriter, so don't try to pretend that you have a typewriter," Luckhurst told Bloomberg. "You have been using a computer to do a handwritten thing. You haven't used a computer properly, and you haven't handwritten properly." Pretty much sums it up, right?
4. Comic Sans. Is there ever a time and place for this font? Probably not. But it's most definitely one to avoid when writing up a résumé. It's unprofessional, whimsical, and will most likely be dismissed right off the bat by potential employers. Seriously, steer clear of this one pretty much always.

Products: Theory bag, Samantha Wills ring, Juliet & Co. ring, Samantha Wills bracelet, House of Harlow 1960 bracelet, Michael Kors bracelet, Mirlo ring, Juliet & Co. ring, Vita Fede ring, Zac Posen sunglasses

In 1970, The Bronx registered a historic population record of 1,471,701 residents—and then the great decline led to a 20% drop by 1980 as over 300,000 people fled the chaos our borough was thrown into by government officials with planned shrinkage, landlords torching their properties, redlining, and a host of other systemic issues that plagued our borough of which we still feel the impact today.

As of 2014 census estimates, The Bronx has an estimated population of 1,438,159—just 33,542 shy of our historic high in 1970.

Now in 2016, it may be safe to say that we’re even closer to that mark.

The Bronx of today is very different from the one in 1970.

For example, we’re considered the most diverse area in the country as per the US Census Bureau estimate which said in 2013 that if you picked two people at random in The Bronx, there was an 89.7% chance that they would be of a different race or ethnicity. That was not the case 46 years ago when things were a bit more homogenous in some regards.

Last year the census also placed The Bronx in the top 50 in the country that grew by numbers between 2013 and 2014.

A lot of this is due to the slew of construction that is taking place in our borough filling what was once vacant land so it only makes sense that our population is about to reach that historic peak—and surpass it very soon.

New contstruciton in Melrose alone can close that gap as thousands of more units are under development.

While this is certainly good news, it is definitely a moment for pause and introspection and ask ourselves where exactly are we headed? Can we make our borough truly a home for ALL and not displace residents with encroaching gentrification and force residents who have generations of history in The Bronx?

Will our borough be able to survive the oncoming wave of development being thrust upon us? Change is an inevitable part of life but we don’t have to lose our soul in the process like Manhattan, Brooklyn and now Queens is doing.

We can truly live up to being the one TRUE borough if we stick together.

 

Jamestown residence, RI. Davitt Design Build. Nat Rea photo.

Sullivan’s Island beach house, SC. Ink Architecture + Interiors. William Quarles photo.

Hello anon. You can see more of this project as well as find contact info. here: Ink Architecture + Interiors on Houzz. Best, G

It’s A Sunny Day

Gone are the days when the height of trying to impress someone meant promising them the moon and stars. With this new lighting technology, you can give them the Sun – an artificial sun, that is.

Led by physicist Paolo Di Trapani of the University of Insubria in Como, Italy, CoeLux is a product of more than a decade of research and development for a more natural type of artificial illumination.

Winner of the prestigious Light Source Innovation of the Year trophy at the Lux Awards 2014, CoeLux is “an optical system based on nanotechnology to artificially reproduce the natural light and visual appearance of the Sun and sky.”

“CoeLux is not copying nature, but putting nature on a stage, like art does,” says Di Trapani. “It focuses attention on the most relevant feature of natural light—the dynamic interplay between the sky and sun light.”

How Does CoeLux Work?

To trick the brain into thinking that it’s seeing sunlight, CoeLux uses a clear polymer layer with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which scatters light in varying densities or a technique more commonly known as Rayleigh scattering.

“The effect is so convincing, it touches all those unconscious references the human eye makes to decide if light is artificial or real,” says Kevin Andrews, founder and Managing Director of Ideaworks, where CoeLux is being demoed.

By integrating fluorescent and white light LED lighting, three lighting systems are possible with CoeLux:

• The CoeLux 30 casts a 30-degree angle beam relative to the horizon to mimic the warmer, more lateral light in Nordic countries.
• The CoeLux 45 a 45-degree ceiling beam that offers an equal balance of light and shade for a more Mediterranean glow.
• The CoeLux 60 is for those who prefer the more dramatic tropical light, it recreates a high contrast effect with its vertical beam.

Where is an artificial sun needed?

Although initially developed to “provide natural and atmospheric sunlight at any time of the day or night and in closed areas such as malls and metro stations,” CoeLux is further being developed as an alternative lighting solution for retail (shopping malls), medical (hospitals, recovery centers), wellness (spas), transport (airports, subways) and residential spaces.

Of course, an artificial sun doesn’t come cheap. CoeLux is estimated to cost more than $60,000 for an out-of-the-box system and around an additional $8,000 to cover shipping and specialist installation.

Still, it looks pretty awesome.

The post Now You Can Have Your Own Artificial Sun in Your Home appeared first on Futurism.

The NERF Battle Racer is an awesome pedal-powered go-kart, created by Hauck Toys, that has built-in brackets for storing up to four NERF weapons. The vehicle of foam destruction, for kids from age 4 to 10, is currently available to purchase on Amazon.

It’s NERF or nothing! Creating a stir worldwide is Hauck’s NERF Battle Racer. This awesome machine, for kids age 4 to 10, carries up to four Nerf blasters and a seemingly endless supply of NERF darts. This must-have go-cart has it all – great styling, ball bearing hubs to all four wheels for friction-free running, free-wheel setting, handbrake and tool-free adjustable seat.

images via Amazon

via Hauck Toys, The Awesomer

[Photo via Facebook/Break Bread Los Angeles]

Before you answer the pressing question of whether or not you would live inside of this giant cake (and we suspect you are leaning towards "yes" right off the bat) there are a few things to consider. For one, the cake is not one cohesive cake, but rather a six-room installation of cake sculptures. But then again, the total square footage is 7,000 square feet, which is plenty more space than you would expect to find inside a cake. Also, it's an art installation created by Scott Hove and Baker's Son, who decorated it with "things like switchblades, wolf jaws, and leopard jaws" to "contrast that bougie cake look." Okay, that should be enough info for you to make your decision. (There's no right answer—we all have to decide whether or not living inside a giant cake decorated with switchblades is right for us.)

· Dive Deep Inside a Seven Thousand Square Foot Cake at LA's Break Bread [Colossal]

[The complicated history of the Port Morris Branch, a decommissioned rail line in the South Bronx, has recently been brought back into the spotlight. All photos by Nathan Kensinger.]

The old Port Morris Branch of the New York and Harlem Railroad runs like a hidden scar through the heart of the South Bronx. Dating back to 1842, this decommissioned train line has been a dumping ground for decades, with layers of pollution and neglect heaped along its route. Traveling below street level for two miles from Port Morris through Mott Haven, Morrisania, and Melrose, its history has always been murky to neighborhood residents, who have nicknamed different sections of the tracks The Bronx Swamp and The Hole, and over the years, the abandoned train line has been been variously described as a "bug-infested basin," a "blight on the community," a "filthy concoction of standing water and garbage" and a "needle ridden Bronx drug den." But after a recent city-sponsored cleanup, the future of the Port Morris Branch has been brought back into the spotlight.

And it's complicated >>

A proposed Monument Valley-themed Lego set has been submitted to the toy company for consideration.

It's a potential match made in architecture-geek heaven. A fan of the wildly popular Monument Valley has submitted a proposal to create a Lego set based off the video game's architecturally inspired levels. As spotted by PSFK, a user by the name of Isometry submitted the concept to the toy company's Lego Ideas site. The proposal includes four levels featuring rotating walkways, staircases, bridges, and water wheels, along with figures representing the three main characters (Ida, Totem, and Crow) and stickers to apply to the finished models to add depth. If the proposal gets 10,000 signatures of support, it moves on to the Lego Review Board for consideration (it's rapidly on its way, with more than 2,500 signatures). The proposal also appears to follow the letter of the (Lego) law, minus potential licensing and intellectual property issues.

∙
Spotting Real-World Architecture in Monument Valley [Curbed]
∙ LEGO's NYC Skyline Features Empire State Building, One WTC [Curbed]
∙ You Can Make Your Own Furniture With These Giant LEGO Blocks For Grown-Ups [Curbed]

It's not very often that we find a remodeled Victorian that we love, but the reimagined four-bedroom home at 2612 California Street fits the bill. The home has been transformed from a frumpy pastel yellow house into a modernized gray stunner while retaining much of the detail that made it special to begin with. According to its listing, the renovations were undertaken back in 2009 by a historic developer as his personal residence. The home changed hands in 2012, and now it's back on the market again and looking for $5.895M.

All the photos >>

Is this a sensationalist headline? No.

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant is considered America’s most dangerous nuclear plant by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) as recent as 2011.

Over the weekend, we learned that radiation leaked out at Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County just 25 miles north of The Bronx border and New York City limits. The radiation leaked into its groundwater monitoring wells raising radiation levels by as much as 65,000%. That is not a typo.

65,000%. Let that sink in.

This isn’t the first time there’s an issue at Indian Point.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who represents the 17th congressional district covering parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties (Bronx born and raised, graduating from Bronx High School of Science, by the way) wrote Stephen Burns, chairman for the USNRC on this latest issue:

“This is merely the latest in a long history of safety lapses that pose significant risks to the health and safety of families and businesses in the area. In early 2005, traces of strontium-90 and tritium were detected in the ground under Indian Point and in the Hudson River. In May 2014, two groundwater monitoring wells detected spikes in the tritium levels in groundwater and bedrock under the plant. It is unacceptable that these leaks continue to occur. The NRC must take steps to address these leaks and prevent further contamination.”

To make matters worse and which adds to why USNRC calls this the most dangerous nuclear plant in America is that it sits atop a fault line which has a 1 in 10,000 chance of having a serious enough earthquake to cause damage to the plant.

We’ve seen what happened in Japan at Fukushima during the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster which devastated that region. 5 years later and there is a 12 mile radius exclusionary zone around the power plant to keep people out and protect the general population from exposure to radiation. That was originally at 50 miles or more which would place NYC within the zone with the exception of the southern half of Staten Island.

So with all these past and current issues, why is Indian Point still open? Why is it just 25 miles from America’s most populous city and within the country’s largest metropolitan area? New York City’s population alone at almost 8.5 million is more than twice that of the next largest city—Los Angeles with just over 3.9 million.

Should a similar disaster occur as with Japan’s Fukushima (and note that one of the major reasons Indian Point is considered to be the most dangerous is that it was not designed to be earthquake proof—Fukishima and California ones are).

As Congresswoman Lowey said, “Indian Point would never have been licensed in such a highly populated area had it been proposed today. ”

How many people are at risk should a major disaster strike the plant? Based on the 2010 census:

• 5 miles:  83,398
• 10 miles:  272,969
• 15 miles:  684,580
• 25 miles:  2,193,542
• 50 miles: 17,287,412

Let’s not forget the numerous watersheds that supply drinking water to over 9 million residents of New York City, and Westchester, Putnam, Ulster, and Orange County (The Croton Watershed sits within a 25 mile radius of Indian Point).

Some public officials may tell you that everything is ok but the fact remains that it is time to close Indian Point once and for all. We can do better and need to protect the tens of millions of citizens of the region not to mention the economic engine that fuels this country that is New York City.

 

Photos by Adrien Williams via Designboom.

Nope, that's not a movie villain's lair, though the facade is, admittedly, a bit foreboding. This 125-year-old two-story residence in Montreal got a goth revamp from local firm Architecture Open Form, with a newly painted black facade and an interior reorganization that now has flexible, open-plan interiors, conceived in collaboration with Christopher Bélanger Design.

Simple, natural materials on the interior—slate, stone, copper—create an open, airy interior that provides contrast with the dark, slightly foreboding facade. And new connections between indoor rooms and outdoor spaces provide easy access to a deck in the backyard.

∙ architecture open form revitalizes 125 year old duplex in montreal [Designboom]
∙ All Globe Trotting posts [Curbed]

Architect Anders Berensson came up with this pretty inventive approach to building new housing in an already crowded city. Berensson wants to built an entire neighborhood in Stockholm where the buildings are connected via skywalks, making the denseness of the buildings an asset rather than a liability. Each building would be a different height, maximizing light, and the skywalks and roofs would be planted and turned into park-like things. Who knows if it could work, but the renderings make it look pretty nice.

· This Design For A Dense City Lets You Walk From Roof To Roof [Co. Exist]

In the design world, it feels like things are always swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other. For years it seemed as if “paint it white!” was the answer to every question or problem. Our makeover folder was full of freshly painted white chairs, tables, rooms and home exteriors. Then, slowly it seems we’ve swung back to “paint it black!” again and now we’re seeing more and more projects that involve painting something black – especially a bold, matte black. I personally prefer a darker paint for most things (if you’re going to paint, which of course is never the only option) because it’s easier to keep clean, especially in the case of fireplaces. This fireplace makeover comes from Tanya of Dans le Lakehouse. After realizing their dream of finding a home on Lake Superior, Tanya and her husband realized that it left little budget left over for major renovations. Faced with finishes they didn’t love (like this faux-stone), they decided to lean on paint to do the heavy (and affordable) lifting. I love how clean and modern the finished look is and think it’s a great alternative to white or refacing something entirely. Tanya walks us through the full makeover process after the jump! xo, grace