New Housing New York
"Positively 4th Avenue”
Brooklyn, NY
This competition asked for new housing prototypes in four New York neighborhoods subject to rezoning and deemed suitable for new housing development. The Brooklyn site on 4th Avenue currently operates as an industrial corridor for the downtown with two story light industrial and commercial properties bordered by strong residential neighborhoods to the east and west. The rezoning calls for R6 or mid-density residential development.
Recognizing that 4th Avenue is a vital commercial artery, we proposed to keep the first two stories for their current use. With close proximity to the F and D subways, the site is only ten minutes from Manhattan. Its valuable real estate is a function of its proximity to Manhattan as much as it relates to itslocal neighbors.
Our solution was to lift the as-of-rights massing above the sic story fabric for optimal views to Manhattan and Prospect park, leaving a four story void between the housing block and its commercial base. This area then serves as semi-public space for tenants of the building.
Diagrams illustrate the steps that generate the massing. Diagram 1 shows the allowable massing, Diagram 2 the least valuable real estate in the base envelope, Diagram 3 the separation of the main volumes, Diagram 4 the split in the massing allowing southern light to penetrate to t e building core.
Diagrams show the principals of heating and cooling the building. A double skinned operable curtain wall is designed for passive gain. The apartment units are plugged into the structural frame.