Apartment buildings are a great catalyst for involvement and community activity. Located in Harlem, NYC, this building takes the typical arrangement of courtyard in rear and solid street wall along the sidewalk and reverses it, creating an inviting and open undulation along the street. By taking inspiration from Manhattan's street grid, and focusing on creating an inclusive space where the neighborhood can gather, the community within the building may flourish. We find a building that goes beyond a space for dwellings and becomes a jumping off point for interaction.
By encouraging interaction through opening the front facade we begin to see an implied movement. By using screening on the Eastern facade to filter the bright morning light in the private residences, we can also open this same screening to promote community spaces which are bathed in the morning glow. This light is also given entry through the use of wide courtyards between the divided residence wings which extend from the core of circulation in the rear of the structure.
Site, Context, and Condition Research
Informed decisions regarding design must begin with the site, in an urban environment we must take into consideration the surrounding built environment, the natural conditions, as well as typological references. By manipulating design through these lenses we can create a building that is not only rich aesthetically, but poised for many seasons of use.
The push/pull effect of the surroundings gives context and rough formwork to develop further.
In Section you can see the compression and expansion of spaces which gives people the ability to make impromptu gathering space within the corridors. The recessed area directly off the street also provides for physical separation of the more community focused underground, and visual separation for the ground floor apartments.
Floor Plans
Top Left - Floors 1-5
Top Right - Floors 6-7
Bottom Left - Floor 8
Bottom Right - Floors 9-10
