Around the world, there seems to be an on-going competition for “The Tallest Building in the World” title. Year after year, new buildings are planned and built to claim this title. For example, the Singer Tower was once the tallest building in 1908. However, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower quickly took this title away in […]
Rossella Failla New York City has been described as the mecca for skyscrapers. Any shape and size, you best believe we got it. However, when it comes to luxury architecture, NYC pays particular attention to slenderness. In the last couple of decades, the New York City skyline has gone skinny. These slender and lean high […]
Navtej S. Ahuja Professor Maciuika Shaping the Future of NYC 11 March 2014 The astounding work of architecture that is the Manhattan skyline has long been the standard for the wealthy. Respect is measured through, not the square footage or functionality behind a living space, but rather the specific location within the 34 square mile […]
When I look at New York City, I see beautiful high-rise buildings painting the skyline. I stare in amazement at the tall, slender glass structures filling the streets of the city. I shamelessly admire the apartments with views that we all dream to see. These three features, among others, are what many modern day developers […]
Natan Wise From a purely aesthetic perspective, I’m a fan of the new direction that skyscraper design is going. They’re stylish, sleek and scream modernism. I don’t know much about the physics behind building skyscrapers, but I’d imagine they’re impeccably engineered as well. They look like a gust of wind could topple them over, but […]
Derick Liu It’s true that many of the new buildings are beautiful in their slender shape and form. to be honest, I often walk through the streets like a tourist, just staring up at the beauty of the buildings. However, I enjoy looking at the sky even more. Sure, the buildings seem beautiful and save […]
Manhattan architectural buildings are turning more into slender and tall buildings. It is a new trend. Demand for slender and tall real estates are increasing amid the wealthy individuals who are willing to spend extraordinary amount for a structure that is built with stronger material, sky-high structure, and modern design than ever before. But who […]
Helen Li IDC 4001H Professor Maciuika How High Should We Go? According to many people, the higher you live, the wealthier you are. It is quite funny to think that centuries ago, size determines status, but now, height is the representation of your stature. You can probably list dozens of movies in which the […]
Imagine paying anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 per square FOOT for your living space? I most certainly can’t but reflecting on this exhibition highlights the kind of wealth necessary to afford a living space in Manhattan. “A New Type of Skyscraper” illustrates the new “slender” buildings being built, and their ultimate goal to maximize profit. […]
In history, England had portrayed itself as a nation that rapidly expanded its empire. During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the nation had control of various colonies. However, in The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto portrays England as a nation that was behind others. It wasn’t always a powerful nation with control over […]
Pessia Goldberg IDC 4001H – Prof. Maciuika 03/03/14 Whatever its flaws, New York has always been known as a bastion of personal and religious tolerance. But what I found most surprising so far in Russell Shorto’s The Island at the Center of the World is just how ingrained that sentiment is in America. Not only […]
In The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto discusses the ideas, beliefs, cultural forces, and people that made the Dutch colony of Manhattan. When thinking of New York City in its early stages, many people assume it was largely influenced and established by the English. Originally founded by Henry Hudson and the […]
Derick Liu 3/4/14 As a Psychology major, the most interesting and surprising section of the reading has to be the short anecdote regarding the Dutch children found at the start of chapter five. It mentions the differences between children of Dutch heritage and the children of Puritan society. Usually, when I hear the term Puritan, […]
The Timescape exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York encaptured New York City’s rich history in a brief twenty-one minutes touching upon its earliest settlers and how they cultivated the land to the 80s crack epidemic and through modern times. What the exhibit failed to encapture was the rich, diverse groups of […]
Sustainability has become a popular topic in recent years. In a city that’s rapidly growing, architectures and landscapers are searching for new ways to preserve the natural environment. Our lecturer, Constance Haydock discussed many examples of how newly constructed parks and open spaces aim to be sustainable and environment-friendly. Our visit to the Center for […]
Stephen Elliott IDC 4001H March 4th, 2014 The story of Dutch Manhattan, which I’ve known as a string of myths and names without faces, came to me as no real surprise. Like a bullish investment, the Dutch poured out their coin purses to purchase a plot of land that held the seeds for the future […]
Alessandra Rao IDC4001H Island at the Center of the World I’ll start with the most unsurprising things I learned. Throughout Chapter 5, it was mentioned several times that Manhattan was used as an important port for the West India Company. Given the fact that Manhattan is an island, it is only natural that its geographic […]
In a city so consumed by development and innovation, the idea of sustainability is a novel but necessary concept. It is easy to choose profit over enduring designs that are beneficial to the environment but it is essential that this mindset is altered. In regards to the presentation/discussion by Ms. Haydock, she focused on landscape […]
New York City is full of rich history. The development of this magnificent city is taught in all of our history classes. But sometimes, teachers leave out minute details or figures that played a role in shaping this one of a kind city. In “Island at the Center of the World,” Russell Shorto offers readers […]
Derick Liu 3/4/14 I wasn’t able to make it to the exhibit with the class because of a cold, but I did manage to see it on my own. I was pretty excited because I’ve always had an interest in city planning and am an avid supporter of the green movement. Honestly, I was very […]
Selina Lee IDC 4001H Professor Maciuika March 3, 2014 Shorto writes that New Netherland insisted on becoming a place, not just another one of the Dutch Empire’s trading posts. It was so exotic and unique that none of employees that headed New Netherland truly understood it. It’s interesting to read about New York City before […]
Natan Wise March 3rd, 2014 The standout figure of the selected chapters of Shorto’s Island at the Center of the World is undoubtedly Adriaen van der Donck. As a young lawyer on the fast track to success in the Dutch Republic, van der Donck decided to accept a high post and come over to be a member of […]
I liked Constance Haydock’s lecture about landscape architecture really showed us her passion and love for landscaping and sustainable alternatives that she has used throughout her work, in the public and private sector. It really correlated with The Center of Architecture’s “New York Restoration Project and the ‘Edge-ucation’ Pavilion”. In the competition, groups were all […]
Pessia Goldberg 03/03/14 While I found the Ms. Haydock’s speech to be quite fascinating, unfortunately I cannot say the same of the EDGEucation Pavilion exhibit. Ms. Haydock gave several interesting insights into how urban landscaping can be used to make the City safer, cleaner, and more beautiful. I especially enjoyed hearing about the different plants […]
