The irregular block at the intersection of Varic Street and Canel Street in Soho is now a wasteland. In the near future, it is planned to arrange a sculpture garden there, which will last until the moment when the owner of this site, Trinity Real Estate, decides on its further use.
In the meantime, New York Magazine, whose editorial office is located just opposite this piece of land, invited four New York bureaus to develop a project for it - almost at their discretion, considering only two factors: the mandatory inclusion of housing and compliance with New York building laws.
A feature of this site that makes it especially attractive to architects is its openness from all sides, a rare quality for New York. Thus, any building erected there will be visible from afar. Another important detail: this quarter is bordered by a small public space - Piazza Juan Pablo Duarte.
WORKac offered to build an urban farm in an open space. This is not their first project of this kind - their P. S. Pavilion. 1 2008 is also a public space combined with garden beds. For Canel Street, the architects wanted to build a residential building, on the sloping facade exposed to the sun, the steps of farming plots would be located. Each level will be allocated for a separate crop, and four cisterns will be installed on the roof of the building to irrigate these "fields". On the ground, due to the "diagonal" location of the building, there will be enough free space for local residents to rest. As a reminder of the planned sculpture garden, the construction will be supported by several works by contemporary sculptors.
AT Architects were also inspired by this temporary function of the site: their building itself resembles a huge sculpture of concrete and glass. It will be rounded in plan with a small area in the center. All horizontal surfaces will be turned into "green roofs", and many vertical ones will be occupied by solar panels.
According to the idea of Karl Fischer (Karl Fischer Architecture), the green area will be located around the new house, merging with Duarte Square. Also, this free space with landscaping will allow, according to New York laws, to build a taller building next to it. It will be a hotel with the option of being used as an apartment building. The facades, each with its own special appearance (a tribute to the irregular shape of the site), will be made of gray bricks and glass panels.
FLANK architects have come up with an ingenious solution that allows them to lower prices for apartments in their new house: their project involves turning the facade of the building into a permanent billboard for any company. Advertising revenue will make housing affordable for middle-income citizens.
