326 State Street: Eating Our Words
Okay, we were wrong on this one. We hammered the Scarano-designed building at 326 State Street a couple of times as it was going up for being out of scale and disrespectful of its context. Based on the photos on the links below, it certainly looked that way at the time. But, as a couple…
Okay, we were wrong on this one. We hammered the Scarano-designed building at 326 State Street a couple of times as it was going up for being out of scale and disrespectful of its context. Based on the photos on the links below, it certainly looked that way at the time. But, as a couple of readers (including a neighbor who had also feared for the worst throughout most of the project) emailed us to point out last week, the end-product is significantly better than expected. The saving grace? A wood paneling that’s still modern but manages to soften the facade’s impact on the streetscape. We’d still prefer it if this lined up with the neighboring house and had a little less bulk but overall it worked out much better than we originally gave it credit for. Nos culpamus Nostra culpa.
Still Out of Scale on State Street [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
326 State Street: When Too Much FAR Is a Bad Thing [Brownstoner]
You are correct the Panels are Formica compact phenolic I am a architect and have used it on Several of my Projects around The NY metro area. The Compact Phenolic Panel is made of 70% recycled paper product and 30% resin. And is LEED certified. If you would like samples of the panel they can be obtained from the folks over at jhc 718-649-1661 tell them David simmions at bartell and bartell architects said to call.
The facia/ Rain screen is a product called Phenoilc Compact. It is manufactured through a joint partnership of Formica Corporation Europe and JHC labresin Brooklyn new york 718-649-1661. They just supplied the panels on a twenty one unit complex in Boston. I used the panels on my Apartmet building in Astoria and it is wonderfull. I think they are Providing it on a large Hotel project on the west side.
I will keep you posted with some pix.
willam l Hathaway
The facia/ Rain screen is a product called Phenoilc Compact. It is manufactured through a joint partnership of Formica Corporation Europe and JHC labresin Brooklyn new york 718-649-1661. They just supplied the panels on a twenty one unit complex in Boston. I used the panels on my Apartmet building in Astoria and it is wonderfull. I think they are Providing it on a large Hotel project on the west side.
I will keep you posted with some pix.
willam l Hathaway
There seems to be an irony somewhere among the volume of Green commentary on a Brooklyn website.
Definitely respect the consciousness but does anyone else agree that this topic got hijacked?
“There is a misconception that cutting down an old tree will result in a net release of carbon. Yet wooden furniture made in the Elizabethan era still holds the carbon fixed hundreds of years ago.
Berman, a veteran of the forestry protest movement, should by now have learned that young forests outperform old growth in carbon sequestration.
Although old trees contain huge amounts of carbon, their rate of sequestration has slowed to a near halt. A young tree, although it contains little fixed carbon, pulls CO2 from the atmosphere at a much faster rate…
To address climate change, we must use more wood, not less. Using wood sends a signal to the marketplace to grow more trees and to produce more wood. That means we can then use less concrete, steel and plastic — heavy carbon emitters through their production. Trees are the only abundant, biodegradable and renewable global resource.”
– Patrick Moore, cofounder of Greenpeace.
No real Skilz?!!!
I can rhyme like it’z nobodies biznezz.
“Most wood products in fact are better to use then manufactured products if you consider off-gassing and manufacturing as part of the “green” building ethos.”
That is a nice argument that architects like to make because they or their customer’s would like to use wood guilt free, but as i said in my original comment it depends on the product. Yes, there are some products where the manufacturing process outweighs the destruction of forest stripping but there are also plenty of products that are much more environmentally friendly than wood.
These are not metal either, they are usually a fiberglass / resin material with a fake wood paint job on them. They are not unsafe for the enviorment either. Most wood products in fact are better to use then manufactured products if you consider off-gassing and manufacturing as part of the “green” building ethos. However these panels have been gaining popularity over the past 2-5 years in New York and can be found on a some new Chelsea buildings as well as the new Cooper Square hotel. See website for info…
http://www.trespa.com/na/productSolutionsExterior/meteon/
This building by Scarano still sucks ass though. He has to stop using those cheap alumninum window frames that you find in front of Commerce Bank.
If it bothers you so much why dont you get a bunch of your retro buddies and picket the place? Embarrassed the passerbys will laugh or write some article on some other blog about how you nitpickers have no lives (or no real skills)?