NEW YORK | 36 West 38th Street | 205 FT | 20 FLOORS

earlier today - a different render than the one on YIMBY is on site:

7 Likes

Another bad Kaufman building. Boy has he damaged the cityscape irreparably.

1 Like

why is it legal to offset buildings like that??

f#ck it would almost be forgettable

2 Likes

gene kaufmans “architecture” is the only reason I wouldn’t mind all of NYC being governed by the LPC (although nothing over 3 stories tall would be built)

No progress or work since June it seems.

1 Like

This looks like it may be starting again.

1.9.21

3 Likes

It’s a never ending parade of abortions.

1 Like

Earlier today

They had some workers onsite; maybe they’ve restarted construction.



5 Likes

Ugh another one.

3 Likes

Kaufman strikes again

2 Likes

Kaufman leaves his mark once again.

3 Likes

Here is my understanding of how Kaufman’s building are designed. The massing (overall form/shape) of the building is entirely determined as a function of the zoning regulations & user requirements.

The FAR on these buildings means you can go TALLER, if your footprint is SMALLER. When the smaller footprint is used you get the ‘setback’ from the street-wall as an added functional bonus. The setback is a bonus for the small hotel because there are people loading/unloading luggage all day from cars parked out front on the curb. If there is no set-back, the sidewalk traffic would be continually blocked; causing patron & pedestrian congestion. The flat simple facade maximizes the ‘room count’ per floor.

That is my general guess on how the Kaufman boring, set-back, boxes come to be the bane of Architectural Beauty on any streetscape they appear.

This gives rise to another thought: the growing capabilities of AI (artifical intelliegence) will render ‘building standard’ architectural services obsolete. It all simply becomes an algorithm that responds to zoning & functional requirements - the final form factor being entirely AI determined by a given buildings’ program requirements.

That is my pontification of the day; hope someone enjoyed it… :roll_eyes:

4 Likes

You make sense. Hopefully architects will still design surface detail.

Every time I think he can’t get worse, he finds a way to outdo himself. You’ve got to admire the creativity.

1 Like

Earlier today

4 Likes

Another one. :slightly_frowning_face:

Earlier today

5 Likes

Earlier today

5 Likes

August 2, 2023

August 15, 2023

August 29, 2023

6 Likes

Earlier today

6 Likes