The Best New Architecture of NYC You Haven’t Seen

There’s a long list of new large scale buildings in Manhattan that have skewed the focus of architecture critiques and design reviews of the city towards grand projects. But New York Magazine recently uncovered several small city projects tucked away in the outer boroughs that are examples of good architectural solutions meeting challenging community and city service building projects. For decades, the city’s building program demanded quick, cheap, and ugly brick boxes. These examples represent the beginning of a shift towards creating city building with a high degree of functionality and beauty.

This change in attitude is the result of influence by David Burney, an architect appointed commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction in 2004. The DDC has over 600 building projects in its portfolio and is the single biggest client for architecture in New York City. Burney upon appointment immediately reviewed the existing building approval process and realized it need dramatic a overhaul. He focused on the bland design of  a yet to be constructed firehouse in Bushwick as a start. He thought the firemen deserved a home that was better than a basic box and challenged the architects to start over and come up with something more distinctive. The resulting design pictured above took inspiration from a firetruck cab, the front facade representing the windshield.

Burney’s ultimate goal was to infuse higher design values in city building projects by transforming the agency from a bureaucracy to a parton of good architecture. This meant creating a pool of architects that could be paired with specific projects based on their achievements. While city jobs in the past haven’t been seen as glamorous projects for architects to work on based on tight budgets and complicated approval processes, recent successful projects by the DDC are beginning to create a buzz. The timing of the recession has also attracted more architects looking for work to the agency.

The DDC is demanding imaginative solutions and has adopted a new approach to working with architects. Instead of dictating, the agency is acting more like a client and asking what can be done.

[via ny mag]