Building a city is an ongoing, additive act of creativity. Urban
centers are continually being made and remade; they are palimpsests of
the values, technologies, ingenuity, and aesthetics of times that
precede ours and that were vital in shaping our present. The evolution
of the city depends upon designers' ability to find ways to preserve
this past, while shaping a rich and resilient ecosystem for the
future.
Whether designing carefully considered ground-up buildings or adapting
older buildings for new life, building on history is a fundamental base
for contemporary practice. This monograph explores the profound
relationship between the past and future of architecture that defines
DXA Studio's practice. The book presents 14 projects that embrace
history as a critical influence; they use New York City as a laboratory
to implement this approach that acknowledges context and constraint as
constructive, rather than restrictive. Integral to its time and place,
such architecture offers a distinctive identity, clarity, and
timelessness to the urban fabric.
The through line connecting the projects is DXA's interest in the
transformative power of architecture. When well-conceived and expertly
crafted, buildings can be more than the sum of their materials. They
activate the city in a meaningful way and can change entire
neighborhoods, serving as a catalyst for growth and vitality.
Dispersed throughout the book are text pieces that contextualize the
work and bring in the voices of leading thinkers on a variety of topics
that support the typologies on display. These include three essays by
authors who are experts in their fields, including Russell Shorto
(author of The Island at the Center of the World) on The Shape of New
York, Judith Zilczer (Curator Emeritus Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden and Art Historian) on De Kooning's Space about the firm's project
at De Kooning's former studio at 831 Broadway, and Patrick Cullina
(landscape architect and horticulturalist) on Integrating Dynamic
Landscape Design into Collaborative Praxis. There are also four
'conversations' between the DXA partners and prominent thinkers and
professionals, including Robert Tierney (former chairman of the New York
City Landmarks Preservation Commission), Cas Stachelberg
(Preservationist and Partner, Higgins & Quasebarth), Gregory Rogove
(musician), and Gregory Wessner (Civic Leader and Executive Director of
the National Academy of Design).
FEATURED PROJECTS:
280 St. Marks Avenue
Carroll Gardens Courtyard House
Williamsburg Sustainable House
West 81ST Street Church Conversion
Ulmer Brewery
14 White Street
102 Greene Street
47-49 Greene Street
831 Broadway
Essex Crossing
215-225 West 28TH Street
Midtown Viaduct
The Great Bridge
