Common Ground Community, Schermerhorn House

New York, NY, USA
Photo © Albert Vecerka/Esto
Photo © Albert Vecerka/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © Albert Vecerka/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Photo © David Sundberg/Esto
Architects
ennead architects
Year
2010


The design creates a new paradigm for urban supportive housing in response to unique site conditions. Four steel trusses cantilever the building over subway tunnels located directly below the site. Set atop this structural platform, the building’s exterior identity has evolved to express the rigorously ordered program within and to address the contrasting character of the neighborhoods to the north and south. The building’s primary northern façade, composed of five translucent channel glass tower elements rising from a transparent glass base, presents a dignified luminous presence to the dense urban fabric of downtown Brooklyn; the south façade, defined by horizontal banding of glass and cement board panels, hovers above a landscaped roof terrace on the second level that provides a transition to the low-scale residential neighborhood beyond. Sustainable design principles have informed the selection of systems and materials for the project. The building’s channel glass façade is fabricated with a high percentage of post-consumer waste glass and Low E glazing to enhance overall thermal performance. Additionally, the second floor “green” roof terrace serves to minimize heat island effect. Energy efficient appliances and systems are incorporated throughout the building.

Related Projects

  • Promenade Favorita, Lugano TI
    mavo gmbh
  • Garten Höhenweg St.Gallen
    mavo gmbh
  • Sagiareal, Greppen LU
    mavo gmbh
  • Progressive cleanroom expansion
    Lindner Group
  • Büro Allmendstrasse
    BFB Architekten AG

Magazine

Other Projects by ennead architects

Natural History Museum of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
New York Hall of Science Expansion
Queens, NY, USA
WGBH Public Broadcasting Station Headquarters
Brighton, MA, USA
University of Michigan, Biomedical Science Research Building
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
Queens, NY, USA