Planned Development

As urban areas are becoming more desirable places to live, more building is occurring to accommodate the needs of new and future residents. As the money/economics allow for the growth, the growth will continue. I wrote here about the economics behind high rise developments.

Rendering, Fordham Spire, Chicago IL
In many locations, the current building boom is the market correcting itself – making up for lost time, when progress and change was unable to happen (sometimes due to over priced land in an undesirable location) for a number of years.

View of model, Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn, NYC

 

Laurie Olin

Laurie Olin, FASLA, established the first incarnation of his firm, Olin Partnership, in 1976. More than thirty years later, Mr. Olin has developed landscapes and master plans for universities, international companies, government bodies and numerous other clients.

“The firm takes a long term view of design, believing that strong, clear schemes supported by innovative detailing and fine, lasting materials are essential to melding social needs with physical resources. Design that provides functional accommodation, symbolic meaning, and aesthetic richness can make timeless human environments.” From Olin Partnership “Philosophy.”

Past projects include University of Pensylvania master plan, Art Institute of Chicago gardens, and Battery Park City master plan. Current projects include…

Atlantic Yards,

and Washington Monument modifications.

Olin has long collaborated with Peter Eisenmann. “During their twenty-five years of collaboration, Olin and Eisenman have developed a unique approach to site development where neither the building nor the surrounding environment is given priority,” from Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.

From ICA:Fertilizers: Olin / Eisenman

In addition to these large and highly visible projects, Olin continues to teach and write, influencing future generations of Landscape architects.

 

Atlantic Yards Made Easy

Curbed offers a summary of what’s going on over at Atlantic Yards.

 

AY Financials

Brownstoner reports on the recently released Atlantic Yards Financial Projections.

 

High Rise Development

Much of the housing stock in cities across the country is a result of efforts by developers. Without delving into the politics and/or urban appropriateness of one solution type over another, I’d like to take a look at some of the current socio-economic factors guiding today’s real estate market, after highlighting some of the new, under construction and planned high rises in Brooklyn:

Atlantic Yards

J Condominium see other 2 other DUMBO projects and a neighborhood blog Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn

Oro Condos (under construction) 306 Gold Street and the sister building at 313 Gold street

One Hanson Place (former Williamsburgh Savings Bank)

 

AY Begins

Work begins at the Atlantic Yards site this week. Demolition of select properties, to be completed in part by minority- and women-owned firms, is the first step in preparing the site for future construction.

Before

Proposed After

 

AY Update

Architectural Record reports on recent developments and concerns over at Atlantic Yards.
I would have to agree with Gehry’s opinion that “the project would be more successful if parts were farmed out to other architects, permitting a variety of styles more akin to an authentic cityscape.” This is the case for most developments – part of the appeal of cities is the diversity, not only of people, but of spaces and contexts. Having worked on larger developments, it is difficult for one office to produce successful variety in it’s designs. Design has a certain inertia, and once one establishes a particular style or approach to a site, aesthetic diversity is near impossible without it becoming some strange stage coach city.

 

Atlantic Yards Update

Good news for the development team of Atlantic yards- a state board approved the $4 billion Brooklyn development yesterday.“The Atlantic Yards project, two years in development, will create tens of thousands of construction jobs and thousands of permanent jobs, and bring professional sports back to Brooklyn for the first time since the departure of the Dodgers to Los Angeles nearly 50 years ago,” said Gov. George Pataki.View of Gehry’s model for Nets stadium.Read more here, and the statement from the team.

 

Atlantic Yards, Part 2

Here is my second installment in the comparative discussion of Atlantic Yards and a similar development project I pursued in school. You can see the part 1 here.Water TreatmentIn our academic proposal, we considered what to do with waste water and stormwater runoff. For dealing with sewage, we proposed the implementation of a Living Machine.Diagram of living machineImage of aerobic treatment tanks

 

Atlantic Yards, Part 1

The past week or so at work I’ve been engaged in analyzing the first built phase of a multi-acre redevelopment here in Chicago. A portion of the site actually overlaps with a redevelopment plan I worked on in school. My school project was developed out of sustainable principles, and I thought it would be an interesting way to analyze a controversial redevelopment in Brooklyn, NY: Atlantic Yards.Pedestrian FriendlyProximity to basic commerce and public transit are critical to any successful sustainable residential development. My Chicago proposal built on the existing local precedent of commercial street hierarchy, which allowed for easy pedestrian access to basic commercial needs, bus and train lines. There were also a number of railway viaducts that existed as community and pedestrian barriers that we developed solutions to reconnect the neighborhoods.Atlantic Yards relies heavily on its relationship to transportation hubs, as well as providing on-site commercial amenities.Atlantic Yards is also intended to connect neighborhoods by transforming the current barrier of rail yards into a connective fabric of parks, residences and commerce.HousingIn the Chicago proposal I investigated, I focused on low rise, high-density prototypes, incorporating courtyard houses, town homes and 3-4-story walk up flat buildings.Architect Frank Gehry has developed Atlantic Yards 16 high-rise residential and mixed-use towers, arranged in a public park.One successful precedent for this approach is Detroit’s Lafayette Park.Open SpaceThe approach my classmates and I took in our development proposal was to make a garden city of sorts. Our open/green space was the spine of the project. All other elements (residential, commercial, industrial) are tied together with a park system that includes new and existing parks and new green streets, which facilitate pedestrian movement through the cityLandscape architect Laurie Olin has designed the open space that connects the multiple towers. The space is primarily public and encourages a wide variety of activities.In part 2, I will discuss additional sustainable measures, including landscaping and water treatment.