Katz Architecture

If you’re on the hunt for a nice outing this spring, we highly recommend checking out a new Alexander Calder exhibition at the MoMA. Calder is renowned for reimagining sculpture as an experiment in space and motion, upending centuries-old notions that sculpture should be static, grounded, and dense. His work is on view through August 7th. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5209

Exciting news: We’ve been hired as Building Architects for 599 Broadway, a 12-story commercial loft building located in the Soho Cast iron Historic District of NYC. Built in 1917, the building’s most distinguishing feature is an 80-foot-tall monumental wall sculpture by well-known artist Frosty Myers, who created the piece in 1973. Known as The Gateway to Soho it consists of 42 aluminum green painted girders and braces anchored to a blue background on the building’s north f...acade. Sadly, art and commerce are rarely compatible. The sculpture was taken down in 2002 to repair the wall and for several years, it was the subject of a contentious court battle that resulted in its re-installation 18 feet higher to allow for billboard use at street level. We are thankful the piece was returned and thrilled to be associated with this iconic SOHO building. See more

Please meet our latest hire at Katz, Isabel Munoz. Isabel was raised in El Paso, Texas and fell in love with architecture after watching her parents remodel their home. She studied at Syracuse University and focused on applying social, political, and environmental themes onto architecture. She also spent a semester in Florence, Italy. She joined us right after graduation and says she is excited to learn from our office and experience all that New York City has to offer. Please give her a warm welcome!

Across Sweden, city dwellers are getting the chance to help redesign the urban spaces right outside their front door. Using pre-built furniture modules, parking spaces are being replaced by tables, benches and plants. It’s all part of a government plan to help people improve the immediate environment around their homes. We dreamed up something similar for New York City in our summer investigation into proposals for more urban green spaces. Read our investigation here: https://bit.ly/3cZEffd

David was one of a handful of voices featured in a recent paper about the future of office spaces in a post-pandemic world. In the paper, Julia Hobsbawm of the Demos Workshift Commission says the pandemic proved that working full time in an office might neither be productive or desirable. The paper touches on similar themes as our own investigation this summer into designing flexible live/work spaces to accommodate this shift in approach to the workplace. You can read our investigation here: https://bit.ly/3bTDzJe

The ability to work remotely will not drive most people away from cities and offices, but it will enable many to live and work in new ways and places. A great read on how COVID-19 will create a need for innovative live/work spaces. Our office spent the summer investigating how New York City can design these spaces and proposed some ideas. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3oeS6CV

2021 couldn't come fast enough. Happy New Year!

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked innovative design solutions for a number of problems. In Italy a creative architect designed a pavilion to get Italians excited about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Every year, our office usually throws a big holiday party. But 2020 was not a usual year. Our holiday celebration was far smaller. But we still had a great time tasting our favorite beers and enjoying each other’s company from far away.

A lovely, interactive piece that envisions the future of urban space in a post-pandemic city. We discussed many similar themes in our own investigation on how to better cultivate public space in New York City. Read our investigation here: https://bit.ly/37AcTef

As part of our Building Management Services, we are often asked to produce Physical Conditions Surveys to help building boards and property managers maintain their buildings. Our surveys address all physical aspects of a building to determine weather tightness, structural integrity, code compliance and building safety. They result in a prioritized list of potential repairs and maintenance along with estimated costs. We recently completed a survey for this building in Manhattan’s Kips Bay section - a stately nine story 1927 Renaissance Revival Coop with limestone base, articulated window surrounds and stone cornice. Our work provided the Board there with the knowledge it needs to properly allocate their resources over the next several years.

As part of our building management support services, we provide facade inspections throughout NYC to identify deficiencies before they can lead to serious problems. Among other things, we look for spalled brick and damaged masonry that can invite water infiltration as well as damaged components that might come loose over time. Some of this work can be done from the roof or from the street but we also need to examine surfaces up close and personal to really get the lay of the land. This is a shot of just that at 316 West 79th Street, also known as The Kelmscott, a 12 story Renaissance Revival building built in 1910. The Kelmscott was designed by noted architects, Schwartz & Gross and is located within the West End Collegiate Historic District.

Thanks to commARCH for featuring our founder David Katz in an engaging conversation about our vision for a new kind of live/work space in a post pandemic world. Check it out!

Thanks to Grocery Dive for featuring our vision of how grocery stores can incorporate creative design elements to help shoppers feel more comfortable in a post pandemic world.

Most people have witnessed firsthand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on grocery shopping. From new spatial requirements that existing store layouts are unable to meet to shortages in product availability, the pandemic has highlighted the limitations of stores. How can the grocery store evolve as a result of the lessons we are learning? Read our investigation exploring this question. https://bit.ly/3nLtZvy

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to work from home and re-think how we occupy our spaces. We explored what benefits a live/work building would have for residents, building owners, developers and communities in a #postpandemic world. We also created a prototype for a new live/work unit combining ground floor storefronts, apartments with flex spaces, and offices. Read more in our Do Your Homework paper. https://bit.ly/3cNYUT1

Progress is being made at our Greenpoint townhouse project. Back in January the excavation of the basement was taking place for a new sump pit and a new concrete slab. You can see the amount of ground water present at the time. Since then, new waterproof pits were installed for sump pumps and house trap, new gravel, heavy duty waterproofing and concrete were also installed. The basement today is solid and dry. Soon, the slab will receive a finish top layer of polished concrete with integrated hydronic floor heat for a nice modern feel and look.

COVID-19 forced business owners to re-evaluate their space, come up with creative ways to reduce overhead and continue to meet the needs of customers. As more businesses re-open, many consumers are hesitant to return to brick-and-mortar locations. We investigated the possibility of using mobile businesses to provide the same customer interaction with less cost in a #postpandemic world. https://static1.squarespace.com//Mobile+Business+White+Pap

We are excited to be featured in Work Design Magazine to discuss why live-work spaces could be making a resurgence thanks to the pandemic. We also explore a prototype for a new live-work building that includes storefronts, apartments with private work spaces and separate offices for residents.

Throughout history, the built environment has changed in response to disease. After COVID-19 struck the world, our firm spent time thinking about how the environment might change once again. We are excited to release the fruits of our labor: an in-depth series of investigations that focuses on urban green space, the healthy building, the mobile business, the grocery store and the live/work building. The entire series is now live and ready to view. Over the coming weeks, stay tuned as we share more about each individual investigation. https://www.katzarch.com/post-pandemic-architecture/

We are happy to report that despite everything else going on, we recently completed work on this beautiful old 1925 loft building in Brooklyn. The project entailed repair and restoration of the brick and terra cotta detailing, selective brick replacement and repointing, window lintel repair, replacement of deteriorated decorative terra cotta panels, painting and cornice repair. Note the pop-up restaurant which was not there when we began a sign of the times.

Brick Underground talked to David Katz and other New York City architects to learn about new concepts for residential buildings in a post-pandemic world. David discussed our prototype for a new live/work building complete with ground-floor storefronts, apartments, separate offices for residents and more. Check out the article to learn more!

As New York City progresses through phase 4 of the re-opening process, this article brainstorms some ways the city can adapt in the coming years. As we continue returning to the officeand all kinds of spaces and environmentswhat is top of mind is: How do we reimagine spaces so people feel comfortable?