As a finalist in the New Housing New York Legacy Competition, Magnusson Architecture and Planning was asked to design an affordable, sustainable multi-family building on Brook Avenue in the South Bronx. In addition to achieving a LEED Gold standard and far surpassing NYSERDA Energy Star requirements, the project uses local vegetation on vertical and horizontal surfaces to completely eliminate storm water runoff while reducing urban heat island effects.
The single loaded layout of the main building creates “sidewalks in the sky,” which bring front lawns and a sense of community to the project, as well as thru-ventilation from the corridor. Smaller mews buildings running east-west along the site provide senior housing and ownership units in a more traditional double loaded layout. Traditional unit layouts are revisited, with the idea of bringing a more family friendly design to people who need it.
The stepped design of the mews creates opportunities for green roofs that function as communal spaces and private terraces for the ownership units. The remainder of the roof is heavily vegetated to allow for stormwater retention.
The single loaded layout of the main building creates “sidewalks in the sky,” which bring front lawns and a sense of community to the project, as well as thru-ventilation from the corridor. Smaller mews buildings running east-west along the site provide senior housing and ownership units in a more traditional double loaded layout. Traditional unit layouts are revisited, with the idea of bringing a more family friendly design to people who need it.
The stepped design of the mews creates opportunities for green roofs that function as communal spaces and private terraces for the ownership units. The remainder of the roof is heavily vegetated to allow for stormwater retention.
