This is a fascinating video from the MoMA website about changing how ecology and technology relate.  These team leaders are discussing the climate change and working to do something revolutionary to help.  With the projections, the sea level could rise by six feet relatively soon.  That would mean that 20% of Lower Manhattan would be under water.  They are looking to build estuaries to help with drainage and run-off while also boosting ecosystems throughout the city.

This gorgeous modern apartment in the Upper West Side in Manhattan has gone green.  The 3,000 square foot home was remodeled by Hariri & Hariri and featured in Architectural Digest. “The architects… hooked up all the systems—heating, cooling, lighting, shades, humidity, audiovisual, computers and telephone—to a brainy computer hidden in a closet off the bar.”  A smart home, indeed.

Always a source of inspiration and envy, the architecture of New York is clearly defined as some of the world’s best. Whether in the heart of Manhattan or tucked away in the rural upstate, New York modern architecture is the in a league of its own.

The Box House from Messana O’Rorke Architects

From the Web site:

The Box House is a simple weekend retreat, akin to a cabin at the beach, with minimal accommodation. Located on Shelter Island overlooking Gardiners Bay and the North Folk of Long Island.

Conceived a glass box, the houses developed as a shaped structure. The glass box is cradled within the roof and base extended above and below, with a massive black wall. Lined with the same Ipe wood the delineation of interior and exterior becomes obscured. The base floats above the landscape and the whole structure turns its back to the road, and exposes its naked interior to the bay.

The interior is shaded from the solar gain during the summer months, but open to its advantages when the sun travels closer to the horizon in the winter. Photovoltaic cells on the roof generate back up the electrical power and a passive geothermal system enhances the air heating and cooling system. The accommodations of the house are a living room with kitchen and a bedroom separated by a block interior architecture, containing a bathroom and storage.

Holy rooftop, Batman!

We normally define new modern homes as green, affordable and winking with smart design. But the architecture at the Five Franklin Place Lofts, while surely not affordable or especially green, inspires us like few building lofts can.

These lofts display the awesome power of opulence. The design is ultra-modern. The amenities smell like a million dollars. And the view? You want the view? You can’t handle the view.

Designed by UNStudio, which says:

UNStudio is an international architectural practice, situated in Amsterdam since 1988, with extensive experience in the fields of urbanism, infrastructure, public, private and utility buildings on different scale levels. At the basis of UNStudio are a number of long-term goals, which are intended to define and guide the quality of our performance in the architectural field. We strive to make a significant contribution to the discipline of architecture, to continue to develop our qualities with respect to design, technology, knowledge and management and to be a specialist in public network projects. We see as mutually sustaining the environment, market demands and client wishes that enable our work, and we aim for results in which our goals and our client’s goals overlap.

Some of New York’s best modern residences. Even if they are out of reach for 95% of the population.