World’s tallest modular building breaks ground in New York

B2 at Atlantic Yards

News: New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will today lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the world’s tallest modular building, a 32-storey residential tower in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards development by Manhattan-based firm SHoP Architects.

At the groundbreaking, developers Forest City Ratner will display one of the 930 modular chassis that will be combined to build the tower, called B2. More than 60% of the construction will be completed off-site at the Brooklyn Naval Yard before being transported to the site as pre-fabricated modules.

B2 at Atlantic Yards

B2 is the first of three new residential towers planned around the Barclays Center, the 19,000-seat indoor sports and music arena that opened this September. Both were designed by Manhattan-based firm SHoP Architects as part of the controversial Atlantic Yards development, which has attracted criticism from residents over its lack of transparency.

The three buildings will provide around 1500 residential units in total, half of which will be earmarked as affordable housing. B2’s 363 apartments are expected to be available for occupancy in summer 2014.

B2 at Atlantic Yards

While developers and city officials hail B2 as the world’s tallest modular building, construction is also set to begin this month on a modular tower in Changsha, China, which at 838 metres, or 220 storeys, would be the tallest building in the world – and construction firm Broad Sustainable Building says the tower, called Sky City, will go up in just 90 days.

We reported on the opening of the Barclays Center in September, while back in May we reported on plans for a 425-metre-high skyscraper by architect Rafael Viñoly on New York’s Park Avenue, which will become the tallest residential tower in the US if built – see all our stories about New York.

B2 at Atlantic Yards

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Images are by SHoP Architects.

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breaks ground in New York
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Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

New York architects Studio Cadena placed three white boxes inside this industrial loft in Brooklyn to make bedrooms for three flatmates.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: photograph by Ian Allen

Studio Cadena was asked to turn a 60-square-metre space in a former factory building into an apartment for three occupants.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

The architects removed the existing partitions and added three compact boxes to create private bedroom spaces while maximising the size of the communal area.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: photograph by Angela DeRiggi

Glazed openings allow light inside the bedrooms, which are arranged to receive as much light as possible from the loft’s large windows.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Completed at short notice and on a tight budget, the loft took nine weeks, 141 emails, 64 calls, 55 texts and three contractors, according to the architects.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: photograph by Ian Allen

We recently featured a home in Japan with its top floor arranged across separate sheds and another house with four more tiny houses contained inside it.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: photograph by Ian Allen

Other New York apartments we’ve featured on Dezeen include a loft with glass ceilings and walls and a home for an art collector containing a library and gallery.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

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Photographs and images are by Studio Cadena, except where stated.

Here’s some more information from the architects:


Three Small Rooms
A Loft in Brooklyn

Located in a former factory building in the burgeoning artist’s enclave of Bushwick, Brooklyn, a small industrial loft awkwardly subdivided by existing partitions was transformed into a bright and open space that could be shared by three young roommates moving into what would become their first shared loft in the city.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

On Saying Yes:

Clients: We have a project for you.
Architect: Great!
Clients: But we have very little money.
Architect: No problem, I’ll work with what you have.
Clients: And we need to do it really fast.
Architect: Ok, how fast?
Clients: Can you design something for next week? We need to start construction next week.
Architect: ?
Clients: We plan to move in a couple of weeks. Can you do it?
Architect: It’s impossible…(silence)…Ok, YES. I will try.
Clients: Great!
Architect: You know this will probably take longer and surely end up costing more?
Clients: ?
Architect: Ok, give me a week. I’ll think of something simple; something interesting. If you like it, we’ll find a way to get it done.
Clients: Ok
Architect: Great!

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Rather than subdividing the loft into the needed rooms, three small and separate volumes cluster around a large common area and are set apart within the raw space. Huddling together, these rooms within rooms create intimate spaces while maximising the shared living area needed for gatherings and daily communal living. Now unobstructed, the large windows open up to views of the rapidly changing post-industrial landscape, while allowing light to seep deep inside the loft.

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: plan

1 Loft
3 Rooms
660 sq ft
9 weeks
141 emails
64 calls
55 texts
3 contractors

Three Small Rooms by Studio Cadena

Above: section

The post Three Small Rooms
by Studio Cadena
appeared first on Dezeen.

Rudy’s Williamsburg Outpost: The Seattle-born barbershop sets up a retail and coffee shop in Brooklyn

Rudy's Williamsburg Outpost

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Craft Beer New York: Drink down the five boroughs in a curated app for iPhone

Craft Beer New York


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Keisuke Saka: Warmed-up penguins, moving monkeys and entire cities in traditional Japanese paper models

Keisuke Saka

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Tight Wallet: A slim alternative to a bulky wallet

Tight Wallet

Holding up to 30 cards and a stash of cash, the Tight wallet from Brooklyn-based designer Jack Sutter is a simple solution to the common problem of unnecessarily large wallets. Made of nothing more than a bit of elastic and a swath of Italian leather, the flexible wallet works…

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Haven Press Studio: Centuries-old traditions meet modern technology at the Brooklyn shop

Haven Press Studio

by L.S. Winkler Technological advancements and the influx of electronic, digital and automated applications have drastically changed the way we create, view and share art. Mark Herschede, founder and owner of Haven Press Studio in Brooklyn, runs his print shop with an interest in innovation but holds a strong respect…

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