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The New School Will Have a Sorta Green Roof
ByDonThe New School says of its upcoming building:
“Although gardens are rare in a place as densely built as Manhattan, the designers of the University Center found room for a front lawn of sorts: On the setback between the seventh and eighth floors will sit the Green Roof, carpeted with a leafy green flower called sedum. And in true New School fashion, the Green Roof’s purpose is interdisciplinary, providing both decoration and a boost to sustainability. The sedum plantings help cool and heat the center by providing an extra layer of sustainable insulation. Further, sedum allows the roof to absorb 40 percent of the rain falling on the building, which reduces impact on the city’s water system. The Green Roof, which is just one part of an overall water conservation strategy for the University Center, will reduce the building’s potable water usage by 74 percent and sewer discharge by 89 percent.”
An Important Zoning Change Could Make the Area More… Lively?
ByDonZoning changes around Union Square, specifically to OUR zone, C6, are designed to make it easier for a wider variiety of businesses to set up shop at the ground floor level and above. The details are here. For example,
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Arcades
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Axe-throwing
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Billiards/pool halls
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Bowling alleys
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Escape rooms
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Golf simulator driving range
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Indoor go-karts
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Indoor skateboard park
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Interactive or virtual reality attractions
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Laser tag
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Miniature golf
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Observation towers
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Ping pong/table tennis
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Play spaces/family fun centers
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Wax figure exhibitions
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Seasonally: haunted houses and similar fright attractions
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Comedy shows
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Concerts
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Dancing
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Open-mic night or poetry reading
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3-D printing
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Brewery
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Ceramic studio
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Jewelry making
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Wholesale and/or large-scale bakery
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Woodworking
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Other food and beverage producers, such as coffee roasters, ice cream makers, and shared commercial kitchen or food business incubator space
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Other makers
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Latest New School Construction Update
ByDonNext week (June 24 to June 28), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building. Additionally we will be working on the roofs of the building.
The following week (July 1 to July 5), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors as well as sidewalk work.Latest New School Construction Update
ByDonNext week (September 24 to September 28), Material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors. Curtain wall installation on the upper floors will continue. Curtain wall installation on the lower floors will proceed along 5th ave inside the construction site. The crane that is on site will remain for the duration of curtain wall installation and will not affect pedestrian or automotive traffic.
The following week (October 1 to October 5) Material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors. Curtain wall installation will continue on all floors.
This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, September 22nd for superstructure related activities and curtain wall installation between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. Con Ed is on site working on the building but is not in any of the streets.
Salt Bae Steak Celebrity Plotting Restaurant on P.A.S.
ByDonSigns announcing “#SaltBae coming soon” have been plastered on a space at 220 Park Avenue South, near Union Square, where a location of Japanese chain Haru Sushi once stood. Salt-sprinkling, internet sensation Nusret Gökçe first brought his famed Turkish steakhouse Nusr-Et to NYC in January, opening a 150-seat restaurant in Midtown.
But if Gökçe is indeed responsible for this signage, it could be slated for something other than a steakhouse. In February, he announced plans for a new burger chain, to be aptly named Salt Bae, telling the New York Post he’s plotting multiple locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The signage on the space says just “saltbae,” accompanied by an illustrated version of the butcher.
Critics fell harshly on Nusr-Et, finding the theatrical dinner served overpriced, mediocre steaks. Eater’s own Robert Sietsema described the beef as “a little rubbery” and “low on flavor,” although Pete Wells from the Times seems to have enjoyed his dining experience, going as far as calling the steak “terrific.”
The chain has over a dozen locations around the world, but only one other U.S. location exists in Miami, according to its website.

It’s Official: Virgin Store to Close
ByDonFrom the NY Times:
The latest record store to close in New York is a big one: the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Following its announcement last month that the Times Square Megastore would close down in April, Virgin Entertainment Group North America will shut down the Union Square shop in late May or early June, a spokeswoman said, confirming a report in Billboard. Virgin will also close its Market Street store in San Francisco in April. The New York closures will leave Manhattan without a large-scale record store. Thousands of music retailers have shut down in recent years as CD sales have plunged, and Virgin has been closing most of its locations around the country since it was bought by the real estate companies Vornado and Related in 2007, but its high-traffic New York stores were said to be profitable.

