How Great is Kickstarter at Remaking the Urban Landscape?
The ability of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites to turn crazy design concepts into real-world products has been well documented, but a post at PSFK suggest these site's ability to support speculative building projects is also commendable. The article touches on three campaigns; the +Pool in New York, a fully-funded plan to place a floating and filtering pool in the East River; the Thames Bath Lido, a now-active proposal to launch a public pool in the Thames River in London; and the PopUP Forest, set to be installed in Times Square next summer. They all sound like great ideas, but does the promise of crowdfunded public works live up to the reality?
RiverLink Ferry To Enjoy Extended Season
Just when you thought the spring's goings on at the Delaware Rivercouldn't get more amazeballs, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) announced that under its management, the RiverLink Ferry will be expanding its fleet and extending its season.
According to Ikea, People Are Pretty Stressed About Kitchens
[Image via Shutterstock]
IKEA's second global Life at Home Report came out yesterday. It's not as salacious as the first one, which revealed that people in Mumbai have the most morning sex and people in New York do the most work while sitting on the toilet, instead focusing on the kitchen. Specifically, the fact that everyone is very anxious about their kitchens, apparently. For instance, 19 percent of Parisians chose the answer "I would feel uncomfortable or ashamed" when presented with the question, "How would you feel if a friend looked in your kitchen?" (A friend!) And while 38 percent of Berliners residents cook at home during the week, 54 percent never eat in the kitchen or dining room. On the bright side, only 18 percent of them feel bad about the amount of food they throw away each week, the lowest of any of the eight cities surveyed.
reNewbold Proves You Can't Have Too Much Of A Good Thing
Renderings and floor plans via reNewbold
Phase II of reNewbold, the cluster of LEED Platinum-certified townhomes on the former home of the Francis M. Drexel School, is now nearing completion. Aptly-named reNewbold II, the second phase of the wildly successful development in South Philadelphia added seven new row homes, two new condos, and one retail space at 16th and Moore.
LPMG Companies (who helped bring South Philly Taproom and Ultimo Coffee to fruition) helped get this project off the ground. The initial phase focused on the development of six units along Bancroft Street, each of which is now sold.
Midcentury Modern Ranch Literally Takes It Up A Notch
Photos via BHHS Fox & Roach
This raised ranch in Wayne features three bedrooms, two baths, and a classic (and drool-worthy) midcentury modern layout. The open concept home, asking $405,250, features a huge gourmet kitchen with a breakfast bar that seats five, cathedral ceilings, and a corner fireplace in one of the several living and dining areas scattered about the home. The master bedroom boasts a walk-in closet and en-suite bath, and there's an oversized garage in which to store things or tinker with them.
Comcast's Innovation and Technology Center's Steady Climb
Photos via MR Jooste
We're not getting a gigundo slide at Comcast's Innovation and Technology Center (CITC). That's cool, we guess. Curbed Philly checked in on construction yesterday, and the 1,121-foot tall mixed-use tower's skyward ascent is progressing swimmingly.
Tesla's Game-Changing Home Battery is Sold Out Till 2016
Photo via The Verge
Two weeks ago, electric car company Tesla announced it will debut a new line of storage batteries for homes and businesses, sparking widespread enthusiasm for an energy revolution. Consumers, it seems, are on board. In an earnings call last week, Tesla CEO Elon Muskrevealed that more than 38,000 of the home-focused Powerwall units had been reserved in the first week after the announcement—that means they're sold out until mid-2016. As a refresher, the Powerwall is a six-inch thick shield-like pack that measures three feet by four feet in size and stores electricity generated from solar or other renewable sources for use at night or as a backup supply.
$825K Symmetry-Obsessed Loft Boasts Dueling Staircases
Photos via Fox Roach-Center City Walnut
With a layout that conjures a comedy of two warring floor managerswho demand duplicates of everything to avoid having to walk through each other's offices, this three bedroom, two and a half bath loftboasts symmetrical staircases leading to the Mezzanine floor. The so-called "California-Style Loft," asking $825,000, boasts a whirlpool bath in the somewhat sterile master bath, a fireplace, French Doors to the side street, and indoor one car parking, with an additional spot possibly becoming available in January.
Mod Podge Villanova Home Priced To Sell At $850K
Photos via BHHS Fox & Roach-Devon
This six bedroom, four bath Villanova home, last sold in 1998 for about 150 grand, has popped on and off the market since 2013, this time appearing REDUCED & PRICED TO SELL at $849,900. The flagrantly custom contemporary rests on 1.4 acres of land, and boasts floor to ceiling windows, a gourmet kitchen, Great Room, and oversized living room with a fireplace. In typical mod fashion, the master suite and a few other bedrooms are located on the main floor, and the upper level offers three more bedrooms and two bathrooms. There's a heated pool and a spa, and lest you think the nearly 850 thou is set in stone, per the listing: "all reasonable offers [will be] considered."
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Tiny Tudor Trinity In Fitler Square Asks $449K
Photos via BHHS Fox Roach-CC Rittenhouse Hotel
Weighing in at a decidedly petite 763 square feet, this Tudor style Trinity directly facing Fitler Square Park is on the market for the healthy price of $449,000. Featuring one bedroom and one bathroom, the tiny home boasts a custom kitchen (necessity being the mother of invention), exposed beams, and two gas fireplaces. Upstairs, you'll find a small bonus room, which per the listing would be "excellent as nursery, study, craft room," and there's also a walk-out roof deck.
Philadelphia Landmarks Attaining Nirvana Through #Yoga
Photo via Yoga on the Steps
A curious ritual rivaled only by duck lips in selfies is the yogi penchant for supplementing the subject of a snapshot with asana. While some of us may find a simple in-phone app may suffice for helping spruce up a landscape, the more limber among us choose to juxtapose their entire bodies over architectural landmarks, pieces of public art, and stunning geographical formations. The season for free public yoga may have only recently begun, but for the devoted, yoga is best served #everydamnday.
"I do not get people's obsession with this gutted rust bucket. There's nothing there left to preserve and even if there was, it's just not that special. It was the fastest ship at the same time transatlantic flight made such ships obsolete." —Robson Formica, via Facebook [Will The SS United States Set Sail For NYC's SuperPier?]
A New Tiny House Documentary Digs into the Nitty-Gritty of Small Living
Photo courtesy of Small is Beautiful
After a recent episode of Portlandia epically skewered the tiny house movement, it may be time again to look at the micro living phenomenon in earnest. Indeed, Small is Beautiful, a new documentary from Australian filmmaker Jeremy Beasley cuts deep into the lives of four tiny house dwellers in Portland, Oregon—including a young couple who embark on living in a few hundred square feet with their two dogs (↑). The film uncovers all sorts of tiny living motivations, ranging from the practical (e.g. it's a liberating alternative to 30-year mortgages) to the more abstract (e.g. it's a way to develop a more meaningful relationship with the surrounding community.) As Beasley tellsTreehugger, "The more time I spent documenting the people, the more I realized the humanity of it was the interesting part—not the houses themselves."
"Do people really think a double vanity is that important? Or is this another thing that realtors forced us to think is necessary. I never understood this feature. It's not that hard for your spouse to temporarily move aside so you can spit out your Listerine. I would rather have the extra counter space w/ one sink." —guest [What a half a million dollars will buy you in Philly]
Cecil Baker's Rhapsody In Exposed Brick Is Pending Sale
Photos via Plumer & Associates Inc
Architect Cecil Baker's original house, now pending sale, features all the trappings of a Cecil Baker private residence: beams, light, and brick. The three-bedroom, two-bath residence, asking $575,000, boasts a two-story atrium, a renovated master suite and bathroom, and a multi-level brick and stone patio and garden area with tile mosaic walls. Meanwhile, the architect's insanely luxurious tower at 500 Walnut has begun its ascent into the heavens and One Riverside Place celebrates its arrival to the scene with a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday. It's Cecil's world. We're just living in it.
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