NYC Public Design Commission announces Excellence in Design award winners

The NYPD 40th Precinct Station House has won the Public Design Commission’s Excellence in Design Award. Designed by BIG Architects with landscapes by Starr Whitehouse, the Station House promotes the Mayor’s “commitment to providing quality, equitable, and resilient public spaces to all New Yorkers.” With a palette inspired by local Bronx ecology, the landscape and roof garden integrate the building into the city fabric while providing storm water detention, ensuring security, and restoring habitat.

VIA 57 West has been featured in a gorgeous photo collection by Danica O. Kus. Catching the tower from a variety of indoor and outdoor views, Danica provides an intimate glimpse of BIG’s building and Starr Whitehouse’s courtyard.

To accompany BIG and Starr Whitehouse’s tour of VIA 57 West for Open House New York, StreetEasy created their own aerial tour of the structure. This stunning footage allows viewers to catch a bird’s eye glimpse of Starr Whitehouse’s VIA courtyard—normally hidden away in the core of the tower. Follow Mariela Quintana’s blog post for more insight into the design and construction process, and enjoy the view!

The Broadsheet gives an exciting glimpse of the new Battery Playscape, anticipated by Warrie Price—President of the Battery Conservancy—to be a “first-class playground, three times larger than what was there before.” This new playground continues Starr Whitehouse’s history of work in the Battery, extending the narrative of ecology the team brought to the Battery Bosque, Promenade, and Bikeway to a new site and context.

DNAinfo’s Irene Plagianos reports on the development of Battery Playscape—“a special addition for the growing number of families Downtown” not only for the present but also “for the long-term future,” according to Warrie Price, President of the Battery Conservancy. By incorporating innovative weather resilient and universal design into various play elements, the new 1.4-acre playground will create a unique play experience for children of all ages and abilities educates youths about ecological stewardship.

Downtown Express announces unanimous support at the Community Board Meeting on June 13 for Battery Playscape—an inventive playground designed by BKSK Architects and Starr Whitehouse. While seeking to preserve the “open sense of freedom” of the existing park, the design will offer the benefit of an expansive, state-of-the-art play space for which “parents of the Financial District have been waiting patiently,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, Chairwoman of CB1.

New York Magazine’s Justin Davidson paints a vivid portrait of VIA 57 West – a residential project designed by BIG Architects that is nearing completion. The article highlights the block-long courtyard designed by Starr Whitehouse that is snugly nested in the middle of the pyramid structure.

The Villager reports on developments in the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, quoting Starr Whitehouse’s Elise Baudon on results from the first round of community engagement meetings last March.

ASLA’s The Dirt gives readers the scoop on Tel Aviv’s Park Ariel Sharon, a former landfill re-envisioned by Starr Whitehouse’s Laura Starr as a “beacon for environmental restoration.”

A New York City playwright lists Bushwick Inlet Park as one of his favorite places to sit on a bench, enjoy the view, and get some work done!