news Archives | BKSK Architects

May 13, 2020

Two BKSK Projects Unanimously Approved by the LPC

We are thrilled to announce that on Friday May 8th, two of BKSK Architects’ projects, 21 Greenwich Avenue, and 16 East 16th Street were unanimously approved by all eleven Landmarks Preservation Commissioners at the LPC’s first ever virtual Public Meeting.

The 21 Greenwich project is a restoration, plus a vertical and horizontal expansion, of a 3-story historic structure on the southwest corner of Greenwich and W. 10th St. The final development will read as two distinct buildings: a restored 3-story corner building with a setback 4th floor next to an entirely new 5-story infill. They engage in a quiet interplay between an idiosyncratic example of Greenwich Village in the 1840’s and a contemporary interpretation of today’s Greenwich Village. Together, they create a new multi-family dwelling, with full floor apartments a duplex penthouse, and ground floor retail.

16 East 16th Street involves ambitious restoration work in this substantial expansion of a 6-story R. H. Robertson-designed YWCA dormitory from 1891, now being converted to a new boutique hotel. Our restoration work for this project comes in two forms: 1) a faithful re-creation of the sandstone ground floor masonry, entirely removed in the 1950’s, and 2) a leap-of-faith “restoration/interpretation” of Robertson’s original design for a never-realized gabled 7th floor. Behind the historic façade, the new hotel will extend further into the unusually deep site, yet retain key portions of the historic masonry walls and offer guests a sense of both renewal within, and reverence for, the Ladies’ Mile historic district.

Of the 16th Street project Commissioner Fred Bland noted “It’s an intriguing adaptive reuse of this really handsome building….what (BKSK) is undertaking is really magnificent”.

Watch the virtual meeting from May 8th here.

January 8, 2019

Harry Kendall joins Urban Design Council at the Museum of the City of New York

As a founding member of the Urban Design Council, Harry Kendall will contribute ideas to the institution’s programming and exhibition content to ensure that the Museum remains at the forefront of conversations in New York’s urban design. The Council represents a partnership between the Museum and urban design constituencies to preserve the vibrancy of New York City and the Museum.

The Museum’s mission is to foster understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in one of the world’s most influential cities and to engage visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future.

November 29, 2018

BKSK’s newest principal, Harpreet Dhaliwal

With a key role on many of BKSK’s most respected institutional projects, Harpreet exemplifies our passion for implementing design excellence in public spaces, including visitor centers, parks and playgrounds. Her commitment to a multi-stakeholder decision-making process perfectly aligns with our overall approach, in which we envision civic and cultural projects as a truly collaborative process.

(clockwise from bottom right) The LEED platinum comfort station in Washington Square Park; the New York Hall of Science Playground; and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation headquarters. Each project conceived to express the mission and goals of our clients.

Below is a preview of two works-in-progress being shepherded toward completion by Harpreet.

October 4, 2018

Interior Design’s PowerGrid NYC 50

We’re excited to be ranked in Interior Design magazine’s PowerGrid NYC 50, an annual report on top architecture and design firms influencing the city’s changing landscape over the last 18 months. Featured among the projects is BKSK’s 22 Bond Street, (across the street from BKSK’s widely commended 25 Bond). The design is a contextually sensitive, art-inspired residential loft building blending architecture and interiors through contrast and harmony. Read more here

July 31, 2018

Landmarks approves West 13th Street design

Our proposed restoration/renovation/expansion of 405-409 West 13th Street has been approved, with notable praise, by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. This project will introduce another example of intriguing change to the Gansevoort Market Historic District’s longstanding history of adaptation, reuse, expansion and contraction. (Currently, unlike during the 1930’s, for example, the district is in an expansion mode.)

The approval involved a discussion among the commissioners about how a visible rooftop architecture can “stand on its own”, yet offer a sense of dialogue between eras. This is a conversation of great interest to us, and we are so please to be among the few firms addressing the issue with creativity and aplomb!

Our design adds 3 additional floors above a 3-story former warehouse, originally constructed between 1900 and 1910, when it was used as cold storage for meat and poultry purveyors. Designed for Aurora Capital Associates, the vertical expansion will yield an additional 15,500 sf of commercial floor area.

Congratulations to the team!

April 5, 2017

Facade Feature for One Madison Gatehouse

“How do you design something that is as much about being a gateway as it is about being a building unto itself?” Partners Joan Krevlin and Harry Kendall both posed that question and provide insight into the answer, as they described the design of the Gatehouse to One Madison in this month’s Facades Issue of The Architect’s Newspaper (print edition). This BKSK-designed 5-story building and custom glazed terra-cotta rain screen facade on 22nd Street acts as an intimate gateway entrance for the tenants and visitors of CetraRuddy’s One Madison Park residential tower. To learn more about our modern intervention in the historic Flatiron District, pick up a copy and turn to page 62.

March 15, 2017

S is for Stewardship

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) announced the winners of the 2017 Arthur Ross Awards for Excellence in the Classical Tradition, and BKSK Partner Emeritus Stephen Byrns received the Stewardship Award for his dedication to and restoration of Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers, NY. In 2011, Stephen founded the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, of which he became full-time President in 2016. The restoration of this former 1920s private garden of great beauty and historical significance, once called “America’s Most Spectacular Garden,” has indeed been a labor of love, and has breathed new life into this public park. We are delighted – though not at all surprised – that Stephen has received this honor, and extend our heartfelt congratulations!

Read more about the Arthur Ross Award winners here.

February 22, 2017

The University of Virginia: Industry Expert Discussion

We believe it’s important to inspire the next generation of architects. Julie Nelson recently joined her alma mater as a guest on their Career Center’s Industry Expert webcast, along with fellow alumnus, Jeffrey Murphy of Murphy Burnham & Buttrick. The series is aimed at providing students with real world advice from practicing professionals in their field of expertise. Below is a sneak peek into the conversation, the full webcast can be viewed here.

UVA: Why did you choose a career in this industry?
Julie: I chose this career as a chance to do something creative and tangible (and a love of cities and the built environment).

UVA: What can students do to prepare for their first year of experience?
Julie: It’s important to gather a broad range of experience early on: construction, technology, design and collaboration. Try as many things as you can, especially when you’re young…ask questions and try it all. Tap into the collaborative ethos of architecture.

For more information about having BKSK involved with your school or organization, please email bkskinfo@bksk.com.
(pictured above, Convent of the Sacred Heart Athletics & Wellness Center, a building that serves as a living “teaching tool”).

November 28, 2016

Silver and Gold for The Jefferson

The Jefferson was selected as a Silver Winner in the 2016 New York Design 100 Awards program, which recognizes design excellence in the New York City market. The 115,000-sf multi-family project in New York’s East Village received LEED Gold Certification earlier this year for its unique and holistic approach to sustainable design in an urban setting. This project is considered a successful model of an “urban steward project” as a result of responsible civic and environmental design.

To view the Jefferson’s winning nomination, click here.

November 23, 2016

Park House receives 2016 AIANY COTE Award

BKSK is both humbled and honored to have been selected as a recipient of a 2016 AIANY COTE Merit Award for our LEED Platinum Washington Square Park House. The New York Chapter of AIA’s Committee on the Environment established its award program in 2014, seeking to reward design excellence and innovation that achieves socially and environmentally responsible design. The program is based on a rigorous set of qualitative and quantitative criteria – from community engagement, to human comfort & wellness, to specific sustainability metrics for water, energy, and materials.

Click here to learn more about the the AIANY COTE Awards and this year’s winners.

View our award-winning Washington Square Park House portfolio here.