DeKalb Commons is a Passive House Certified affordable housing development in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The project consists of 2 7-story multifamily affordable housing buildings across DeKalb Avenue, and one 4-story building with ground floor commercial space and apartments above. The two sites are within the same neighborhood and the smallest site is a challenging mid-block site for which our design maximizes its development potential.

This project answers HPD’s interest in providing new housing options for local residents in the immediate community who are being displaced because of rising rents as the neighborhood evolves and includes several features and amenities which improve quality of life for tenants and community members. Features:
• Passive House design offers a template for affordable housing that meets the highest standards for livability, comfort and efficiency.
• Community space on DeKalb Avenue offers ground floor, daylit space for residence to gather and creates a safer street presence by putting eyes on the street.
• Planted buffer space set back at grade mitigates street noise and gives privacy to ground floor units.
• Retail space at the Fulton site brings new services and job opportunities to the neighborhood creating a more vibrant streetscape.
• Planted rear yard with a variety of seating as well as a children’s play area offers open air space for the tenants on Dekalb Avenue.
• Active Design Guidelines inform design of circulation and open space to encourage healthful spaces.
• Entire development activates street on Dekalb Avenue and Fulton Street creating a safer environment, activity after dark and resources for the community.
• Accessible units meet City and Federal housing standards