Joseph Koelbel Architect

Excited to see the restoration work get started on this project! The 1860s house will have new cedar siding and trim, new wood windows to match the original. Other elements will be repaired or restored.

Excited to be working on a proposal for the exterior restoration of this one of a kind modern house in the Bronx! It was designed by architect Ferdinand Gottleib and built in 1967. It is perched above a steep slope and entered by crossing a small bridge. The back side has large glass windows overlooking the quiet wooded property.

In Montréal I was able to visit Habitat 67, designed by Moshe Safdie. It’s an Icon of (late) mid century architecture that I first learned about in architecture school and it did not disappoint! I knew that it was built of modular units, stacked into a sort of mounded form, like an ancient hill town with lots of terraces and plants. I was surprised to see that the “hills” are hollow underneath and all the resulting spaces are thoughtfully designed with various terraces, benches, planting areas, etc. The underside of the structure is stepped up, has various portals to view the sky in different places, and has connecting skywalks high above adding another dimension to the space.
The apartments are several sizes with one to three bedrooms and not only do they differ horizontally but also vertically, as the smaller ones are one level and the larger ones have interior stairs linking two or three levels. All of them have private outdoor terrace spaces. The location, on a thin peninsula in the St Lawrence River, reminds me of Roosevelt Island in NYC, similarly an island in the river used to explore a new concept of city living but isolated from the adjacent “real” city. The complex was scaled back from the original 1000 units and without any shopping or school, it’s missing some of the life of a real neighborhood - although the apartments themselves seem to be very successful.

This has got to be the cutest house in the Bronx. I previously designed some renovations to the kitchen, dining room and powder room. I’m thrilled to be helping a great client again, this time to replace the windows with ones that seal better and are historically appropriate.

Last week I received approval (Certificate of No Effect) for the restoration plans for this 1860 house in the Clinton Hill Historic District!

I support the Landmarks Preservation Commission but, wow, this approval was the most time consuming of any job I’ve had in the 15 years I’ve had my own practice. Just the paint color approval took many weeks of research, samples, negotiation. It was also a challenge to develop a way to accommodate the extra thickness of continuous insulation and air sealing that will maintain the historic details.

I’m happy we can move forward and the house can get the attention it deserves. Construction starting this spring!

After all these years living in NYC, my first time in the United Nations Headquarters. Designed by an international group of architects including Harrison and Abramovitz of the US and Le Corbusier of France, completed in 1952.

Some scenes from a snowy solstice!

This is a landscape plan for a couple in Michigan who bought a home with a large beautiful property with an over-abundance of lawn. The plan suggests a way to let large areas of the lawns transition to meadow grasses and perennials that will provide food and habitat for a greater diversity of insects, butterflies, birds and other pollinators.

Recently I had the pleasure of helping the talented musicians of Liquid Sounds NYC create a beautiful recording and rehearsal studio in the Box Factory building.

This project had the technical challenge of requiring a highly soundproof studio space. To isolate the space and prevent sound from traveling in or out, I designed a new room to be built inside the existing loft space, self supported and completely independent of the existing walls and ceiling. The framing was filled with acoustical insulation and covered with three layers of plywood and gypsum board with resilient connections and acoustical sealant. We also had to provide power, sprinklers, AC into the space while avoiding holes in the walls that could become sound leaks. I think it turned out well and I can’t wait to hear some of the music that will be recorded there!

Excited to be working on the restoration of this unusual 1860 house in the Clinton Hill Historic District. It’s a little scruffy now but it’s going to be beautiful!

Showing the proposed elevation, photo of current condition, and a photo from 1940.


#1860

Another grey day today… but a nice view of the 1913 Woolworth Building through the portal of the Municipal Building.

Beautiful day yesterday for a walk around Astor Place. (And a beer at McSorley’s Alehouse)