today’s desk view: ornate verticality

Lovely ornate sides across the street from my current job site. A beauty.

(image by: vivien chin)

bridging structure

Simple bridge near the train station in Stamford, Connecticut.

(image by: vivien chin)

reflective padded architecture

Inflatable, padded installation at the Alexander Wang Store in SOHO. So fun! Shiny shiny!

(image by: vivien chin)

discovering columbus_statuesque walk around

Christopher Columbus as the centerpiece of this installation by Tatzu Nishi.  It was pretty awesome to be sitting in a living room built around a statue that is typically out of reach by everyone except the pigeons.  No touching however. Here are some views as I take a lap around the statue.  Detail shots in upcoming posts.

 

(images by: vivien chin)

discovering columbus_the approach

A rare opportunity to get up close to the Christopher Columbus Statue at Columbus Circle which stands on top of a tall column pedestal out of reach on any other day.  Tatzu Nishi built a living room around the statue of Columbus for everyone to sit, relax and admire the statue and the great views of the Upper West Side and Central Park.  Here are views of the approach to the installation–a little room atop scaffolding that is equally as geometrically cool as what is inside.  The exhibit is free.  Tickets available online.  The exhibit is ongoing until November 18th and I highly recommend going if you have time!  See other posts for interior shots.

UPDATE: open for 2 extra weeks due to popular demand!

(images by: vivien chin)

broken cranes

 

Hurricane Sandy snaps this crane like it was nothing.  Stuck inside this week due to the electricity outages & halt in subways in lower Manhattan.  I had to leave the house yesterday for a work meeting on site and saw the crane first hand from the window as well as on my walk home.  This has all been an interesting and surreal experience to see the effect on NYC life when public transportation and power outages cut off  half the island.  Only half the island can begin to get back to normal and even then it’s seemingly less than “normal”.  Brooklyn has  been cut off unless you have a car or can catch a bus and even then it is a longer ride than normal.  Sometimes it’s just faster to walk.  My cab ride t the meeting was tortuously long and more expensive than usual.  I opted to walk 40 blocks home to get some air and avoid that experience again.  The abundance of car traffic that has flooded the streets–this city is not made for the level of traffic it’s seeing now.

I’m fortunate to not have been affected by the storm and hope that all those who have are able to get back on their feet ASAP.  Been reaching out to all my NYC friends to find out if they are ok or need anything.  Glad to hear everyone is safe and sound, finding water, power, and support from friends when they can!

 

(images by: vivien chin)

kusama + yellow trees

Yayoi Kusama’s “Yellow Trees” as a construction barricade in the Meatpacking District.

 

(image by: vivien chin)

the dakota

The famous Dakota Apartments in the Upper West Side.  Sadly the site of John Lennon’s death.

 

(images by: vivien chin)

verticality

Midtown verticality.

 

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s desk view: grand central + metlife

(image by: vivien chin)

train window

Great building outside my window as I take the train to the airport. Train travel should come back into style. You see so much more.

(image by: vivien chin)

colored weathering

Beautiful weathering and rust on a SOHO storefront across from PUBLIC.  Love the colors.

(images by: vivien chin)

structural

(image by: vivien chin)

retail coloring

Desigual makes a colorful splash on 6th Ave. Love the presence it has.

(image by: vivien chin)

filigree

73rd & Broadway.

(image by: vivien chin)

romanesque + byzantine + urban

Passing St. Bartholomew’s Church on East 51st & Park Ave while leaving a meeting yesterday. Romanesque and Byzantine style amongst mass urban-ness. Hear the interior is beautiful. Will check out one day.

(images by: vivien chin)

fire fire fire station

Fire station on West 83rd St.

(image by: vivien chin)

peeking empire

The Empire State Building as I head home from work.

(image by: vivien chin)

framing a classic

Framed moment of the Chrysler Bldg and Grand Central Station as I walk back from a meeting today. Lovely.

(image by: vivien chin)

bridging harelbeke

Bridging to halves of Town Hall of Harelbeke in Belgium by Dehullu & Partners.

 

(image from dezeen)

 

curls

Amazing ceiling finish and light fixtures at a restaurant in DUMBO at 108 Jay Street.

 

(image by: vivien chin)

8 spruce street_gehry

Gehry-designed residential tower near Ground Zero.  The back is so flat…

 

(images by: vivien chin)

graphical circles

Really smart facade treatment with 2 sizes of standard tubing with intersecting flat bars. Easy retro feel. Located in the East Village I believe.

(image by: vivien chin)

keys x infinity

A really intense facade made of keys-appropriate for a locksmith.

(images by: vivien chin)

moving day

In 1886, a contractor in Los Angeles claimed he could move the Fort Moore High School by hoisting it on top of scaffolding and use people, rollers, and horses to slowly migrate it to its new location. It unfortunately proved to be too difficult and had to be lowered back to the ground midway through the move. I wish they left it on the scaffolding. These are really great images.

(images from bldgblog)

baffles and bastions

These approaches for baffled entryways really should be implemented more often. In particular, Serpentine and Labrinthine. I will have to start implementing these in designs.

An image excerpt from “Baffles and Bastions: The Universal Features of Fortifications” by Lawrence H. Keeley, Marisa Fontana, and Russell Quick.

(image from bldgblog)

bridging

Near Madison Square Park…

(image by: vivien chin)

climbing wall_nendo

Very Alice in Wonderland-like.  Nendo designed this climbing wall at the new Illoiha Omotesando fitness club in Tokyo.

I would love one of these for myself!  Now where to find the room for it…

(images from dezeen)

rooftop cube

Spotted this nice project yesterday walking from Chelsea Market somewhere on 15th or 16th st. between 8th and 9th ave.

(image by: vivien chin)

metropol parasol_j mayer h

Latticed, timber canopy as part of the Redevelopment of the Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville, Spain. Houses farmer’s market, bars & restaurants, archaeological museum, etc.

So many of my loves in one: Spain, public spaces, timber construction…

(images from dezeen)

switch_sliding walls_yuko shibata

 

Enjoying the kinetic nature of this project by Yuko Shibati called “Switch”.  Sliding and pivoting partitions make simple, elegant changes to this very basic room.  Bookshelf pivots to uncover the bed and wall partitions slide to create smaller functional spaces for dining or working.

 

(image from: co.design)

stairway to…

So yellow! Stumbled upon this at Van Alen Books when walking around the city.

(image by: vivien chin)

sosno art gallery

Gallery based on Sculptor, Sosno’s,  “la paille dans l’œil du voisin”  (above bust speared with a wood member).  Design by Rytis Daukantas.  Location: Nice, France

 

 

(images from: design boom)

herzog & de mueron_40 bond st_nyc

(images by: vivien chin)

“rolling through the bay”

35 yrs and over 100,000 toothpicks later you get….A Rube Goldberg machine of SF by artist Scott Weaver. Pretty cool.

Thanks moi for the find!

spring beginnings on the highline

Tiny bit of spring is peeking out on the Highline. Tried to take in a little bit of sun in the cold weather while Andy and Lori visited this weekend. Also featured in the pics: Deric, Jeff, Laura, and Nick. Justin and Ben were out on the Highline with us that day as well. Dim sum + Highline + chocolate milk + good friends = great day!

(images by: vivien chin)

quadratura

Beautiful installation using light and architecture.

Here’s the description from the artist, Pablo Valbuena’s, website:

“Site-specific installation. Matadero Madrid. ES. 2010. Video projection on architecture.

Quadratura was the technique used in the baroque to extended architecture through trompe l’oeil and perspective constructions generated with paint or sculpture.

The site-specific installation presented at Matadero Madrid follows the same principles but manipulating space by means of projected light. The main axis of the room of Abierto x Obras is extended and the limits of the physical space dissolved.”

(images from Pablo Valbuena’s site)

aesop saint-honoré_march studio

Ash timber planks from Australia compose this Aesop Skincare store in Paris by March Studio.  I’m a sucker for highly detailed projects using timber like this.  Beautiful.

 

(images from dezeen)

the spring stair

My favorite stair vestibule as I walk down Spring Street, SoHo

(image by: vivien chin)

i PASSED!!!!!

Was ecstatic as I opened my mail and found I’d passed my first ARE test!  I even did the eye cringe thing as I slowly opened the letter hoping I didn’t fail…haha.  1 down, 6 more to go.  License here I come.  Good way to start the week.

 

(image from web)