Places/Design Observer has just published three new story spaces, completed in collaboration with Kate Bernheimer. These three tales were imagined by Abruzzo Bodziak, Solid Objectives - Idenburg Liu, and Bernheimer Architecture. 

New City Books, an imprint of Syracuse University and Princeton Architectural Press, has published a book on the sustainable homes on the Near Westside. Our house, certified Passive House, is one of three completed (with another from Onion Flats and third from CookFox). The book, edited by Peggy Tully, features beautiful photographs by Richard Barnes.

We have officially moved. Our new contact and directions to the office are available here. Stop by, and while you are at it pick up a fresh loaf of bread next door, at Caputo's.

This Friday, July 27th, after 12 years in Dumbo, Bernheimer Architecture will be moving to Carroll Gardens. Our office will be in the storefront of 331 Court Street, between Sackett Street and Union Street.

Please stop in to visit, our space will be a visible part of the fabric of this fantastic neighborhood in Brooklyn.

During a visit to California last week we came upon this astounding building site in downtown LA, on the edge of Chinatown and right near High School #9 by Coop Himmleb(l)au. The picture doesn't quite do justice to the oddness of the scene, or the massive scale of the shoring. An amazing site/sight.

We're happy to announce that we've been named a Fellow by the Design Trust for Public Space for the project Making Midtown. We are embarking on heavy research of the built environment of the Garment Center along with colleagues Colin Cathcart and Rob Lane, also named Fellows for this project. You can follow the Design Trust on Twitter, their handle is @designtrustnyc. 

The word is out, Della Valle Bernheimer is now two separate companies - Alloy Development (helmed by Jared Della Valle) and Bernheimer Architecture (helmed by Andy Bernheimer). Alloy and BA will continue to work in collaboration but now the two entities are separate and unique. We'll have more in the coming days about BA's new projects, older projects currently under construction, and other exciting research endeavors. In the meantime, please bookmark the feed for this blog to stay up on bulletins from the new firm.

In 2009 the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery opened a DB-designed space at 24th Street and 10th Avenue.  Yesterday night at Madison Square Park Jim Campbell, one of Bryce's artists, opened a new piece "Scattered Light" on the lawn.  It is dream-like piece of work, a mesmerizing dance of light and motion.  As a collection of hanging LEDS animate the silhouettes of walking figures, one can't help but become entranced by these large shadows as they amble across the city, this city, any city. 

The work will be in place (along with two other works by Campbell scattered in the Park) until February 28th.

Architects often search for the poetic amidst the pragmatic, or attempt to overlay meaning upon that which may not deserve any. Too often designers struggle to make something more than it is (we are not excluded, of course - after all we want to believe that what we do matters).  A trip to Queens yesterday yielded an idiosyncratic moment, an experience of effortless emotion, of sheer joy, directly attributable to architecture.

PS1's "Pole Dance" installation, by Dumbo's SO-IL, was the catalyst.  Though quiet on a gray Sunday afternoon, the courtyard at PS1 was 90% smiling, with only two people looking self-serious (perhaps there was a break-up going on, or a discussion of Derridean non-certainty sparked by colorful beach balls). Our kids loved it, but they were not the only ones.  We adults couldn't stop playing either. It is a rare piece of architecture that actually makes one happy.  Comfortable, sure. Inspired - sometimes.  But happy?  Not always. We imagine that the process of designing and making "Pole Dance" was a hoot, though not as much of a hoot as actually getting to shake, rattle, and roll in it.

Bravo, SO-IL.

The Architectural League's excellent exhibit "The City We Imagined/The City We Made", currently showing on Governor's Island (and designed by the uber-talented brothers Granger and Robert Moorhead), closes up this weekend.  If you can make it out you should.  Full disclosure: The picture below (as well as seven others of ours) are in the show, we were proud to have been selected for inclusion. A database of thousands of images contributed by volunteer photographers can be viewed here, and even a casual scan is well worth the effort -- there are many gorgeous and compelling shots.

 We spent Wednesday out at DomaineLA, helping Jill (our sister and also the knowledgable proprietor of the store) with some additional design tasks - pending Los Angeles approvals there will soon be a tasting bar at the shop. It was our first visit to the store since it had been completed, a mere 10 months late! The contractor, Hinerfeld-Ward, did a great job, as did Helander, the metal spinner who fabricated the decorative ceiling fixtures.  We capped the visit with a meal at opening night of star chef Ludovic Lefebvre's sensational "Ludobites 5.0" -- Jill has provided wine pairings to Ludo and Krissy in the past.  For those in LA who have had the good fortune to procure a reservation, her recommended pairings for the current version are here. We were also able to take some new pictures, which are attached to this post and on the Domaine project page.  

Hometta, the Texas-based website that sells modern house plans, is expanding their roster of participating architects.  As there are many notable firms providing designs (including our friends at LTL and fellow Dumbo denizens nARCHITECTS), we were obviously eager to contribute to their second round of submissions. Look for plans and images of the house sometime in the Fall (or as they become presentable).You can follow Hometta on Twitter, as well.

Ok, so occasionally we'll use this soapbox to talk about someone other than ourselves, as tough as that may be. Today it's Brian Vitale, a schoolmate and close friend of ours from Washington University.  Brian is currently the Design Director at the Chicago office of Gensler, and he is the hand behind their beautiful "Museum of Bond Vehicles and Espionage" in Momence, Illinois.

A reminder that we have a Facebook page, so if you are a member of the community surf over and follow us there.

We are happy to say that with the assistance of the supremely talented Jochen Hartmann (and with the foundational inspiration of the brilliant chaps at the MAP Office), we have re-launched a new website and blog. We will continually update the site with new projects, press clippings, and announcements about our firm.