Our proposal extends beyond the site, upgrading and connecting these spaces together to create a mid-block “secret garden”, converting the existing fragmented spaces into a viable, connected open space resource for all tenants. 

For the new building, which houses 92 affordable units, our approach was to maximize the available floor area while creating as light a footprint as possible. The massing scenario holds the street edge on both street frontages while allowing maximum light into the shared open space between the neighboring buildings. The building’s base, which includes a childcare center and commercial storefront at the ground level, has a formal expression and is clad in brick.

This base begins to peel away and change color at each setback, revealing a layer beneath it as it turns the corner. At each setback, another layer is peeled away, becoming freer in form and articulation, until the final setback reveals the inner core that flares out and frees itself from the base as it climbs to its final height of 16 stories.