The New School's Bob Kerrey still wants to build a new building (which may actually be a great idea for the cramped confines of the Village institution), but looks like the all-glass SOM design (pictured, like a Rem Koolhaas knock-off) is scrapped. Turns out bricks and mortar may indeed be cheaper than going the all-glass route. Let's just hope that it doesn't turn into an A.M. Stern-designed monstrosity and they at least give us something a little edgy and original. What with all the envelope-pushing architecture going up in the Meatpacking District, it would be nice to see something elevate the humdrum Fifth Avenue. According to Curbed: "The Village Residents Alliance, which has nervous about the scale of the new building, informs the Central Village about what happened at a recent meeting with embattled New School boss Bob Kerrey":
"Very good news is that their originally proposed 350′ tall building is off the table. According to Kerrey, given current economic conditions, it was “way too big, too expensive” and they are now designing an “as-of-right” building which will be “considerably smaller.”
This could mean a tall, thin tower on the smaller eastern lot, next to Amalgamated Bank, with a lower building on the larger western lot. They will not ask for variances which would have produced a far larger, bulkier building without setbacks. This new plan would allow greater light into the Fifth Avenue/14th Street area than the former design and was the preference of community members who have been weighing in on the issue."
