Good afternoon and welcome back to another fall Thursday, chock-full of design, development, and art news to stay on top of.

Here’s what’s going on:

High Line executive director Robert Hammond leaves after 22 years for Therme Group

After 22 years of advocating for the High Line, co-founder and (until today) executive director Robert Hammond is leaving at the end of this year. Effective January 1, 2022, High Line co-founder Joshua David, another 22-year veteran, will act as interim executive director while the board organizes a search for Hammond’s replacement. As of April 2022, Hammond will join high-end wellness resort company Therme North America as president and chief strategy officer. During his tenure, Hammond oversaw the total transformation of the High Line, as it went from an abandoned piece of shipping infrastructure to arguably the world’s most popular (and most replicated) elevated park.

Supply-chain woes have led to massive blue paint shortages

Bad news for artists and house painters alike: Disruptions to the global supply chain are causing paint makers to run out of blue. Thanks to material shortages, increased demand, and rising prices, the supplies of the chemicals needed to make blue paint are tightening; Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel NV has also suspended production of its paint for building exteriors due to a lack of waterproofing compound.

H/t to Bloomberg

WeWork finally goes public

Beleaguered co-working company WeWork has finally ripped off the bandage and listed itself on the New York Stock Exchange. You may recall that WeWork’s troubles began in 2019 after the company prepared to go public for the first time, before the IPO was retracted after investors were given a chance to scrutinize the startup’s finances… and before the New York State Attorney General announced it was investigating founder and CEO  Adam Neumann for allegedly self-serving.

H/t to CNBC

Kenzo Digital and Snøhetta open their dizzying observation deck at One Vanderbilt

The supertall observation deck at Manhattan’s One Vanderbilt is now open to the public, and visitors can check out a mirrored installation courtesy of artist Kenzo Digital and Snøhetta. SUMMIT One Vanderbilt spans four levels and 65,000 square feet, utilizing double-sided mirrors, outdoor terraces, and a multimedia “preshow” from Kenzo Digital on the way up to the top.

Explore the restaurant of the future (based on current trends)

What will the restaurant of the future look like? Eater has surveyed restaurants (and architects) across the country and found that while owners would like to go back to “the way things were,” that just won’t happen. Instead, the restaurant of the future will likely place a greater emphasis on indoor/outdoor flexibility (opening and closing front facades are likely to gain in popularity), as well as improving accessibility for disabled patrons.

H/t to Eater

Page & Turnbull designer Jason K. Wright named to San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission

Jason K. Wright, an associate designer and preservation specialist at Page & Turnbull, has been named to San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission after receiving a nomination from Mayor London Breed earlier this year. Wright is the only openly LGBTQ+ member of the commission, a perspective long sought for the board that guides preservation in the city.

A French art foundation is launching a mobile museum on a catamaran

If landlocked museum visits aren’t your thing, you could soon experience cultural highs on the seas of the Mediterranean. Nonprofit French art foundation Art Explora is planning on launching its Artexplorer, a $37.2 million catamaran-slash-museum on a tour around the Mediterranean come September 2023. The ship will have room for 2,000 visitors, though the final route hasn’t been decided on yet.

H/t to The Art Newspaper