New York's first-ever public housing for visually-impaired begins upgrade

Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) and Associated Blind Housing Development Fund Corporation (Associated Blind HDFC) broke ground on a $38 million building upgrade at Selis Manor. Selis Manor is the first government-funded residence for the vision-impaired and disabled in New York City. Associated Blind HDFC manages the residence, which opened in 1980. The repairs and capital improvements are its first-ever building upgrades. The phased construction is set to be complete by 2016.

The 14-story building is located at 135 West 23rd Street in Manhattan. It has 205 studio, one-, and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a roof terrace, courtyard, bowling alley, fitness center, computer center, library, and auditorium.

The speakers at the ceremony were Brian Daniels, associate commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services: Commission for the Blind; Leroy Latiker III, underwriter-project manager of production and development at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Tony Saverese, Developer/Managing Agent at Associated Blind HDFC; Joyce Carrico, tenant association representative and resident at Selis Manor; E. Perry Winston, associate at Magnusson Architecture and Planning; and Joe Malewich, board member of Associated Blind HDFC.

All of the public spaces will be upgraded and a new entrance will be added. Each of the apartments will have new fixtures and finishes. The separate kitchens will be connected directly to the living areas of the residential units for better flow and circulation. The renovation includes a full MEP systems upgrade that will lower energy usage.

“This long-awaited renovation will improve the safety and quality of housing for Selis Manor’s residents,” said Tony Savarese, Developer/Managing Agent at Associated Blind HDFC. “It is always a challenge to renovate an occupied building, and it is even more complicated when the occupants are visually-impaired. We worked closely with MAP on a plan that will ensure the safety of all residents during construction.”

Residents are supported by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8. Associated Blind HDFC will arrange for temporary living spaces for every tenant on a rotating basis. The phased construction will take place two floors at a time.

Touchable models

Many of the residents have lived in the building since it opened. During the design phase of the project, MAP created touchable models of the new apartment layouts. The models acted as three-dimensional aides that helped the visually-impaired residents understand the changes by touch. Using the models as a guide, MAP’s architects engaged the residents in the process. They also incorporated the residents’ suggestions into the renovations.

“MAP has designed all types of housing, ranging from market-rate to affordable, and everything in between,” said Magnus Magnusson, AIA, LEED AP, founding principal of MAP. “So we know how to address the unique needs of particular residents. Selis Manor is over 30 years old, and long overdue for an upgrade. When the renovation is complete, all residents will have high-quality amenities and a superior standard of living – the kind of housing that all New Yorkers need and deserve.”

Fewer hurdles

MAP’s design eases crowding, increases security, and separates residents and visitors. Currently, the one entrance is shared by 250 residents and the patrons of VISIONS, a not-for-profit that provides services, including meals and classes, for over 500 people each day. This traffic causes congestion in the common areas of the ground floor. A new residents-only entrance will be protected with an electronic pass system. The other entrance will be for VISIONS patrons.

Scored terrazzo flooring will help residents navigate within the building. A path along the floor will guide residents toward elevators and indicate stair landings. A new guardrail along the south façade of the building facing 23rd Street will include Braille inserts describing the history of the residence that lead toward the entrance. MAP consulted with Chris Downey, a San Francisco-based architect who became blind at the age of 45.

The architects expect NYSERDA Multi-family Participation Program (MPP) certification for the project. EME Group provided MEP engineering and Nash Associates provided structural engineering. Rockport Mortgage Corp. and Forsyth Street Advisors helped secure financing for the project.

2006 FreemanWhite Hnedak Bobo Group McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Shawmut Design and Construction Walter P Moore 2007 Anshen+Allen Arup Bovis Lend Lease Cannon Design Jones Lang LaSalle Perkins+Will SmithGroup SSOE, Inc. Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. 2008 Gilbane Building Co. HDR KJWW Engineering Consultants Lord, Aeck & Sargent Mark G.

| Aug 11, 2010

High-Performance Workplaces

Building Teams around the world are finding that the workplace is changing radically, leading owners and tenants to reinvent corporate office buildings to compete more effectively on a global scale. The good news is that this means more renovation and reconstruction work at a time when new construction has stalled to a dribble.

| Aug 11, 2010

Great Solutions: Business Management

22. Commercial Properties Repositioned for University USE Tocci Building Companies is finding success in repositioning commercial properties for university use, and it expects the trend to continue. The firm's Capital Cove project in Providence, R.I., for instance, was originally designed by Elkus Manfredi (with design continued by HDS Architects) to be a mixed-use complex with private, market-...

| Aug 11, 2010

Nurturing the Community

The best seat in the house at the new Seahawks Stadium in Seattle isn't on the 50-yard line. It's in the southeast corner, at the very top of the upper bowl. "From there you have a corner-to-corner view of the field and an inspiring grasp of the surrounding city," says Kelly Kerns, project leader with architect/engineer Ellerbe Becket, Kansas City, Mo.

| Aug 11, 2010

AIA Course: Historic Masonry — Restoration and Renovation

Historic restoration and preservation efforts are accelerating throughout the U.S., thanks in part to available tax credits, awards programs, and green building trends. While these projects entail many different building components and systems, façade restoration—as the public face of these older structures—is a key focus. Earn 1.0 AIA learning unit by taking this free course from Building Design+Construction.

| Aug 11, 2010

BIM adoption tops 80% among the nation's largest AEC firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 survey

The nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction's premier Top 50 BIM Adopters ranking, published as part of the 2009 Giants 300 survey. Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house, half have more than 30 seats, and near...

| Aug 11, 2010

World's tallest all-wood residential structure opens in London

At nine stories, the Stadthaus apartment complex in East London is the world’s tallest residential structure constructed entirely in timber and one of the tallest all-wood buildings on the planet. The tower’s structural system consists of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels pieced together to form load-bearing walls and floors. Even the elevator and stair shafts are constructed of prefabricated CLT.

| Aug 11, 2010

Integrated Project Delivery builds a brave, new BIM world

Three-dimensional information, such as that provided by building information modeling, allows all members of the Building Team to visualize the many components of a project and how they work together. BIM and other 3D tools convey the idea and intent of the designer to the entire Building Team and lay the groundwork for integrated project delivery.

| Aug 11, 2010

Great Solutions: Healthcare

11. Operating Room-Integrated MRI will Help Neurosurgeons Get it Right the First Time A major limitation of traditional brain cancer surgery is the lack of scanning capability in the operating room. Neurosurgeons do their best to visually identify and remove the cancerous tissue, but only an MRI scan will confirm if the operation was a complete success or not.

| Aug 11, 2010

Great Solutions: Collaboration

9. HOK Takes Videoconferencing to A New Level with its Advanced Collaboration Rooms To help foster collaboration among its 2,212 employees while cutting travel time, expenses, and carbon emissions traveling between its 24 office locations, HOK is fitting out its major offices with prototype videoconferencing rooms that are like no other in the U.

Currently Reading

New York's first-ever public housing for visually-impaired begins upgrade

Touchable models

Fewer hurdles

Tags

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

| Aug 11, 2010

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: