Fall means back to blogging

So yes, we have taken a bit of a break from blogging over the past few months, although that's not to say that we have not been busy.   Over the summer Elliott and Gita led a planning studio at Pratt which focused on Roof-Top Urban Agriculture, covered here in Inhabitat, Pratt Students Bring Farms to NYC Rooftops in Exciting Summer Studio and you can see more student work on our blog;  thread was a project partner with Mary Miss on Civic Action : A Vision for Long Island City hosted by the Noguchi Museum. Over the past 6 months, Elliott worked closely to help envision how Long Island City could be transformed into a model of City as Living Laboratory, where science and art meet to make sustainability tangible.  It opened last week to much fanfare, read more about in Urban Omnibus; 

A bit of recent press : 
Eco Meets the Economy in the NY Times
The Delirious City in NY Mag


So now back to blogging!  
This week there is a lot happening at the site - our windows arrive, the exterior stucco finish is wrapping up, and our facade lumber arrives from Olde Good Things.  Exciting.  We will be back shortly with more details on the window selection process, not an easy one, and the interesting story behind our facade.

scaffolding cloaking the building

The scaffolding went up last week, and already the exterior sheathing is complete, bringing more of a sense of enclosure to the interior spaces.  We can get a real sense of the window openings (which are pleasantly large), the views, and the ceiling heights.  

We really like the orange pin-stripping of the netting.

the knick, around the corner

You may have seen signs around in bright colors asking, Are You Bushwick? Last week thread collective got a tour of The Knick, to find out more about the conversion project around the corner from Troutman Street that lies behind the advertising campaign.  The 45 unit residential renovation was spearheaded by The Hudson Companies in partnership with the existing building owner, Scaturro.  Hudson is a development group known for their range of housing projects and their high standard of quality.  thread has consulted with them in the past on Dumont Green and enjoyed the experience, so we are a bit biased.  The Knick is 45 residential units spread across three existing buildings, one of which was an old supermarket at the ground floor.  New commercial spaces will help vitalize this area of Knickerbocker, just a block down from the Maria Hernandez Park; along with the residential units the project will help bring new life to these run down buildings.  Nearly two thirds of the units are sold or are in contract, so they are filling up quite quickly.

The Knick will also be LEED for Homes certified, with a potential rating of Gold.  We are excited that another LEED for Homes project is so close by, bringing a range of sustainable housing options to the Bushwick nieghborhood.  Which every neighborhood needs more of.  The building provides energy efficient heating, and cooling, efficient appliances, thermally sealed envelope, and non-toxic interior finishes just to name a few points achieved.  Many of the units have access to outdoor space with great terraces and the more upper floors have lovely views of the city.

Thanks to Andrew Jackson, Hudson's project manager, for his time and insightful tour.

ta

framing the facades

the next williamsburg?

An interesting article about the attraction of our Bushwick neighborhood.  But we sincerely hope that Bushwick is able to hold onto all the great things that make it Bushwick.


Next Williamsburg: Bushwick, Brooklyn | Crain's New York Business
Six years ago, when Paris Smeraldo and Meg Lipke opened Northeast Kingdom in Bushwick, their menu featuring everything from $9 veggie burgers to a $23 braised lamb dinner was a bit of a reach. The area was still not the sort of place that drew many diners.

Even today, large swaths of Bushwick remain industrial backwaters, but the fact is that Northeast Kingdom, a 28-seat location at 18 Wyckoff Ave., is thriving in surroundings that have become more hospitable and even trendy in recent years.

“It's incredible,” said Brooke Hoffine, the eatery's manager.

The change is indeed dramatic. In the last year alone, three cafés, two bars, one art gallery, one organic grocer and several other retail businesses have opened. And more are on their way, as people stream in from neighboring Williamsburg and other areas in search of a meal, a drink or just a look around, and as artists and others take up residence.

The main reason they're moving in is simple: Bushwick is relatively convenient to get to, and it's cheap. While the average one-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg rented for about $2,400 per month in 2010, the average one-bedroom in Bushwick went for about $1,300. And while that sum is up 63% from an average of $800 four years ago, it still represents a New York bargain.  read more here......

concrete is cast

troweled smooth finish

Yesterday the concrete was pumped in and the floors were cast!  A crew of ten guys in boots shoveled, raked and troweled smooth the 4" pour.  Bear in mind this is the sub-floor.  Next radiant heating tubes will be laid out for the radiant floor heating system, and a second cast will be polished as the final finish floor.

a view from above

yes, that is a manhattan view from the roof!  and yes we have a roof now.

ridgewood reservoir in the distance to the southeast.