Summer Brief: Research 1: New York

SUMMER BRIEF
RESEARCH
NEW YORK

I visited New York in 2012 and fell in love with the culture and sights, because of this I have chosen to research it for my summer brief. From a graphic design point of view New York is obviously a beautiful city filled with art galleries and stunning architecture. But I am also interested in the way that the city has been branded (the big apple) and the connotations of a fresh, clean, healthy lifestyle that that intales.

I started my research by finding out general facts and figures about New York.

AREA:
New York city is situated on the east coast of the USA in the state of New York. It is made up of 5 boroughs Manhatten, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

DEMOGRAPHICS:
New York City is the most populous city in the United States, with an estimated record high of 8,336,697 residents as of 2012, incorporating more immigration into the city than outmigration since the 2010 United States Census. More people live in New York City than in the next two most populous U.S. cities Los Angeles and Chicago combined. The New York City metropolitan area is ethnically diverse. It is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. The metropolitan area is also home to 20% of the nation's Indian Americans and at least 20 Little India enclaves, as well as 15% of all Korean Americans and four Koreatowns; the largest Asian Indian population in the Western Hemisphere; the largest Russian American, Italian American, and African American populations; the largest South American and second-largest overall Hispanic communities in the United States; and includes 6 Chinatowns in New York City alone.

ARCITECTURE:

With a mixture of both modernist and art deco architecture in New York, the skyline is facinating juxtaposing clean crisp lines with embelished elaborate buildings.

Modernist:

The Seagram Building is a skyscraper, located at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd Street and 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The structure was designed by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe while the lobby and other internal aspects were designed by Philip Johnson including The Four Seasons and Brasserie restaurants. Severud Associates were the structural engineering consultants. The building stands 515 feet (157 m) tall with 38 stories, and was completed in 1958. It stands as one of the finest examples of thefunctionalist aesthetic and a masterpiece of corporate modernism.

Art Deco:

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. At 1,046 feet (319 m), the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the world, albeit with an internal steel skeleton. After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the spire was raised on the 1,200-foot (365.8 m) Bank of America Tower, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position. In addition,The New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly level with the Chrysler Building in height. Both buildings were then pushed into 4th position, when the under construction One World Trade Center surpassed their height.

Whilst I was in new york I went to the MoMA, not only was I impressed by the art exhibitions I also loved the clean crisp modernist architecture. Here are a selection of my own photography.