BKSK Architects

October 10, 2016

Architecture as Advocacy: A tour of QBG’s Visitor & Administration Center

The Queens Botanical Garden Visitor & Administration Center will be featured as part of this weekend’s Open House New York. The first publicly-funded building in the city to achieve LEED Platinum certification, this 16,000 sf center is a built extension of the Garden’s mission: to demonstrate environmental stewardship while celebrating the cultural connections between people and plants.

“BKSK Architects used wit and seduction to advocate green architecture, rather than just demonstrate it. It will be a must-see among aficionados of green buildings. But by any definition, it is a terrific gift to the Queens community and all of New York City.” Scott Stefan, Queens Botanical Garden

October 15th at 12pm and 1:30 pm. Advance registration is required. http://bit.ly/2dG9ZXY

December 17, 2015

Julie Nelson to present at NCGS Forum with Sacred Heart

On February 8th, Julie Nelson will present at the NCGS 2016 Global Forum on Girls’ Education with Aubree Stephens, a Convent of the Sacred Heart Upper School Science Teacher and an existing collaborator of Julie’s. Their session, “Drafting the Future: Students and Architects Designing in Tandem,” will give participants an insider’s look at the “Introduction to Engineering” course at NYC’s all-female Convent of the Sacred Heart. This year, that course included hands-on learning with Julie, a key partner of the female-led team responsible for Sacred Heart’s new Athletics & Wellness Center.

By framing buildings (including school buildings) as teaching tools, educators can meaningfully expand the portfolio of approaches that they use in the classroom. Julie and Aubree’s session at the Global Forum will illustrate how education and architecture professionals can effectively collaborate in this process, thereby fostering interdisciplinary learning, integrating emerging technologies, and instilling a sense of global citizenship, all while keeping students engaged. For educators whose institutions are planning new buildings, this collaboration can also ensure that excitement about the investment continues beyond a building’s ribbon cutting. Participants will leave the session with clear ideas for hands-on design challenges that also demonstrate opportunities for women in the building industry, possibly even in a student’s own backyard.

More information on the Global Forum is available here, including details about registration.

December 11, 2015

Eight takeaways from Greenbuild 2015

Greenbuild, a multi-day conference centered on sustainable design and construction, lived up to its promise in 2015. Three BKSK staff members share their top takeaways from the annual event.

It’s essential to move past good intentions.
While it is admirable to start with your heart in the right place, it is important to use that sentiment as motivation for achieving meaningful impact. By moving beyond intention, we can uncover surprising opportunities and create more successful designs. For example, in a session titled “The Science of Circadian Lighting,” we learned about a design team that was deeply committed to bringing the best quality daylight to their client. Fortunately, through measurements, they were able to identify that the site’s north-facing windows would facilitate more appropriate daylighting levels than the south-facing ones, which were often shaded due to glare. (For a broader illustration of this idea, look no further than the Center for Urban Pedagogy’s delightful brochure on Dick & Rick.) Read More

December 7, 2015

The LAB to explore designing wellness and behavior at LF16

For the third year in a row, BKSK’s Jennifer Preston and James Wilson will present at Living Future’s annual unConference, happening this coming May in Seattle.

The two will be joined by colleague Tristan Roberts of BuildingGreen for a participatory exploration of hygge, a Danish cultural tradition that “might have us looking not to the natural environment but inward—at human culture and at what makes us feel at home,” to quote a recent piece in BuildingGreen. James recently completed research on hygge as the George G. Booth Traveling Fellow, through the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. His investigations into socio-cultural influences on human health and wellness will directly inform the Living Future session, titled “Hygge: Designing Trust, Wellness and Stewardship.”

Jennifer and Tristan will also present a second session with colleague Andrea Love of Payette. Titled “To Transform Inertia, Design Behavior,” the session will inspire participants to uncover opportunities for building momentum within one’s own practice.

We look forward to seeing you there!

August 20, 2015

One Great Jones Alley breaks ground

This morning, the team behind One Great Jones Alley celebrated a much anticipated milestone: the project’s groundbreaking.

Already hailed as a modern landmark, the 12-story development will feature an innovative terra-cotta screen facade that acknowledges the rich masonry and cast-iron articulation of the NoHo Historic District. The design also takes advantage of NoHo’s unique service streets, offering future residents a private entrance from Great Jones Alley that evokes the neighborhood’s rich history.

Among those in attendance at today’s festivities were our clients from Madison Realty Capital, Douglas Elliman’s unstoppable Eklund Gomes team, and our colleagues from Noble Construction Management Corp. Congratulations again to all involved!

Visit us on Facebook to see additional photos from the groundbreaking celebration. Learn more about the project’s design here.

August 14, 2015

Tour the Queens Botanical Garden on “Archtober” 4th

We’re delighted to share that the BKSK-designed Visitor and Administration Center of the Queens Botanical Garden has been selected as an Archtober “Building of the Day.” The first publicly-funded building in the city to achieve LEED Platinum certification, this 16,000 sf center was conceived as a complement to the natural landscape — not an overt destination in itself, but a backdrop to the garden’s rich topography, flora, fauna, and ongoing seasonal changes.

Sign up today to learn the many lessons that this building has to offer, both architecturally and environmentally, from BKSK’s Joan Krevlin and QBG’s Patty Kleinberg.

August 10, 2015

Jennifer Preston to present LBC findings on “net positive water”

This Wednesday morning, BKSK’s Jennifer Preston and Environmental Connection’s Rollie Jones will discuss findings from the local Living Building Challenge Collaborative’s study of NYC water issues – and explore the city’s potential for net positive water buildings. Appropriately titled “Net Positive Water: NYC,” the event is being produced by the Urban Green Council and will be hosted downtown at the Surrogate’s Courthouse at 31 Chambers Street.

To sign up for the event, which offers a range of continuing education credits, visit Urban Green online.

To stay up to date with BKSK’s own research into water and conservation, click over to the LAB.

August 4, 2015

Julie Nelson and Harry Kendall to speak on housing

At the August meeting of AIANY’s Housing Committee, Julie Nelson and Harry Kendall will share some of BKSK’s latest housing work and offer their insights into the New York housing market. James McCullar Architecture, Handel Architects, Terrain NYC, and Cook + Fox will also present at the event, which will be held from 6-8pm on August 12th at the Knoll Showroom at 1330 6th Avenue.

All are welcome to attend this “casual summer evening of presentations,” which includes appetizers and beverages courtesy of Knoll. RSVP’s are not required. For additional information about the event or the committee, please contact Committee Co-Chairs Fernando Villa at fvilla@maparchitects.com and Peter Bafitis at PBafitis@rktb.com.

To invite Julie or Harry to share their expertise at an upcoming event, please email bkskinfo@bksk.com.

July 21, 2015

Join us in exploring organic waste’s part in OneNYC

One of the Mayor’s OneNYC goals is for the city to send zero waste to landfills by 2030. Interestingly, one of the largest obstacles to achieving this goal is also a potential energy source: organic waste.

On Thursday, July 23rd, the Urban Green Council is hosting an event to discuss strategies for better dealing with organic waste and the opportunities that architects have to lead in this arena. Co-organized by BKSK’s Julie Nelson, the conversation will be led by Kiss + Cathcart’s Clare Mifflin, Foodprint Group’s Christina Grace, and the New York City Department of Sanitation’s Brett Mons.

The event runs from 6-8pm and is being hosted by Mohawk, at 71 West 23rd Street. Visit Urban Green online to register.

July 15, 2015

Joan Krevlin to discuss “The World of Tomorrow, Today”

On Wednesday July 22nd, join us for a gallery talk by Joan Krevlin entitled “The World of Tomorrow, Today: New projects on three New York World’s Fair Sites.” Presented as part of the Godwin-Ternbach Museum’s exhibition “PERSUASIVE IMAGES: Architecture of the 1939–40 & 1964–65 New York World’s Fairs,” Joan’s talk will explore how a series of new civic projects in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is continuing the legacy of design innovation spurred by the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs.

The gallery talk is free and open to the public. Learn more online or on Facebook.