A new affordable housing development located in the fastest growing section of Brooklyn, N.Y., where over half the population lives below the poverty line, transformed a long vacant lot into a community asset.
The Van Sinderen Plaza project consists of a newly constructed pair of seven-story buildings totaling 193,665 sf, including 130 affordable units.
The project is located across the street from a new elevated “L” train stop and bus station. The buildings are set back from the street, creating a complementary pair of triangular plazas and public outdoor space making the project a gateway for the community. The plaza has become home to pop-up markets and other impromptu community events.
The pedestrian-friendly scale is sympathetic to low-lying neighboring homes. The ground floor retail spaces accommodate a large market, a café, a workspace, a deli, and a community daycare facility.
The building’s exterior features bright colors setting it apart from most affordable housing developments. The panelized façade design uses color in a gradation pattern to provide visual texture to the buildings. Bright colors are carried through to the connecting daycare amenity.
Above the ground floor, the building massing cantilevers over the sidewalk to gain a larger building footprint for apartment levels. This sculptural move provided the added benefit of breaking down the scale of the building while providing visual interest to the repetitive nature of the housing program.
Bound by a narrow 26-foot-wide street along the elevated train, there was only a five-foot sidewalk originally. Both sites were also shallower than typical city sites at 90 feet. To create a better and safer pedestrian experience, the design set back the ground floor, expanding valuable sidewalk space from 5 feet to 15 feet.
Due to proximity to the train, acoustic performance was critical. Façade performance had to meet strict Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC) criteria established in the project’s Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS), which included specific sound attenuation products and assemblies for windows, wall, and Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTACs).
The project was developed under New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development Extremely Low and Low Income Affordability Program (“ELLA”) with rental bands in the 27% to 57% AMI range.
Developer: MacQuesten Development
Design Architect: GLUCK+
Architect of Record: GLUCK+
MEP Engineer: Stantec (formerly E&Z)
Structural Engineer: SILMAN
General Contractor/Construction Manager: MacQuesten Construction Management
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
Apartments | Jan 9, 2024
Apartment developer survey indicates dramatic decrease in starts this year
Over 56 developers, operators, and investors across the country were surveyed in John Burns Research and Consulting's recently-launched Apartment Developer and Investor Survey.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 8, 2024
Canada turns to 1940s strategy to speed up housing construction
To address a severe housing shortage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has begun a housing construction strategy pioneered in the years after World War 2. The government aims to use a catalog of pre-approved home designs to reduce the cost and time to construct homes.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Jan 4, 2024
Top 10 trends in multifamily rental housing
Demographic and economic shifts, along with work and lifestyle changes, have made apartment living preferable for a wider range of buyers and renters. These top 10 trends in multifamily housing come from BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 2, 2024
New York City will slash regulations on housing projects
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to cut red tape to make it easier and less costly to build housing projects in the city. Adams would exempt projects with fewer than 175 units in low-density residential areas and those with fewer than 250 units in commercial, manufacturing, and medium- and high-density residential areas from environmental review.
MFPRO+ News | Dec 22, 2023
Document offers guidance on heat pump deployment for multifamily housing
ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology) has released a resource guide to help multifamily owners and managers, policymakers, utilities, energy efficiency program implementers, and others advance the deployment of VHE heat pump HVAC and water heaters in multifamily housing.
Urban Planning | Dec 18, 2023
The impacts of affordability, remote work, and personal safety on urban life
Data from Gensler's City Pulse Survey shows that although people are satisfied with their city's experience, it may not be enough.
MFPRO+ News | Dec 18, 2023
Berkeley, Calif., raises building height limits in downtown area
Facing a severe housing shortage, the City of Berkeley, Calif., increased the height limits on residential buildings to 12 stories in the area close to the University of California campus.
Affordable Housing | Dec 14, 2023
What's next for affordable housing in 2024?
As 2023 draws to a close, GBBN’s Mary Jo Minerich and Amanda Markovic, AIA sat down to talk about the future. What’s next in terms of trends, technology, and construction of affordable housing?
MFPRO+ News | Dec 11, 2023
U.S. poorly prepared to house growing number of older adults
The U.S. is ill-prepared to provide adequate housing for the growing ranks of older people, according to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Over the next decade, the U.S. population older than 75 will increase by 45%, growing from 17 million to nearly 25 million, with many expected to struggle financially.
