In this issue:
· Prague 4- Pankrác Master Plan Underway with City Green Court
· New High Line Neighbor Grows Roof Gardens
· Affordable Housing Continues to Rise in Spring Valley
· Turkish Delight — Godiva Opens in Istanbul

Prague 4- Pankrác Master Plan Underway with City Green Court

City Green Court.

Renderings by Vize.com, courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners Architects

Construction is in progress on City Green Court, designed by Richard Meier & Partners Architects (RM&P). This is the third in a cluster of buildings designed by the firm in Prague, Czech Republic. The buildings are part of the Prague 4-Pankrác Master Plan, also designed by RM&P, which began almost a decade ago with the intent to transform a once neglected area into a revitalized business, commercial, and residential district filled with green public spaces and amenities. The eight-story building features a curtain wall composed of vertical solid panels with fins angled according to the sun’s orientation on the south and west sides, as well as balconies, clear vision glass, and shadow boxes. A grand canopy marks the formal entrance that leads into a single-height lobby that then opens into a multi-story atrium topped with a green roof. The building is organized around the central sky-lit space surrounded by office floors. The atrium contains a black olive tree, an ivy covered wall, and bridges that span the space, in addition to a freestanding stair that connects the first four floors. The project is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification.

New High Line Neighbor Grows Roof Gardens

500 West 23rd Street.

GKV Architects

500 West 23rd Street, a new 12-story, luxury rental, designed by Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel (GKV) Architects recently celebrated its topping off. The building, which is adjacent to the High Line in West Chelsea, contains 111 units from studios to three-bedrooms, some featuring private terraces. The building’s façade is composed of translucent glass set within an ornamental cast-in-place concrete frame. The building includes three common roof gardens with a lawn, outdoor furniture, and cabanas to create a visual link with the High Line. Developed by Equity Residential, the project is scheduled to be completed by November 2011.

Affordable Housing Continues to Rise in Spring Valley

Main Street Urban Renewal Plan.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning

The recent ground breaking on a new, mixed-use, multi-family housing development, designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP), marked the start of the second phase of the downtown revitalization plan for Spring Valley, NY. Part of a comprehensive Main Street Urban Renewal Plan, the $16 million Spring Valley Family Apartments will provide 55 units of affordable housing for families earning 60% of the Rockland County AMI and will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom rental units, 7,000 square feet of street-front commercial space, a landscaped terrace, a community room, and parking. The project is located across the street from the Spring Valley Senior Housing project with 53 units of housing in addition to 11,000 square feet of commercial retail space. Future plans call for the construction of eight single-family affordable townhomes behind the senior housing. MAP is the project architect for all three phases being developed by the partnership of Community Preservation Resources (CPC), Rockland Housing Action Coalition, and the Village of Spring Valley.

Turkish Delight — Godiva Opens in Istanbul

Godiva Istanbul.

Photo by Ali Bekman

Long Island City-based d-ash design has created the template for future Godiva Chocolatier retail locations with the recently opened, two-level, 3,000-square-foot flagship store in Istanbul’s Nisanti district. In collaboration with Linda Lombardi, Godiva’s vice president, global store design, and visual merchandising, the new design is inspired by Belgian Art Nouveau, a reference to the company’s birthplace. The “retail experience” includes a two-story vertical vitrine in place of the traditional chocolate display case, a 16-foot-long carrera marble-topped table where customers can create custom boxes, and a café that serves cocoa. Godiva has completed four other high-end locations — another in Turkey, two in Shanghai, and one in Hong Kong, with Atlanta opening this spring. A New York store will follow in the summer.