Neighborwood —
Affordable Housing
“While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because neighbors are so many.”
— Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson
Geometrically rooted in history but technologically modern, Neighborwood is a sensitive and progressive model of infill housing that supports Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2017 commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing in New York City by 2026.
Re-interpreting the iconic New York City Brownstone stoop, Neighborwood is a product of its environment. The design prioritizes both accessibility and local community by offering two exterior gathering spaces linked by an ADA-compliant ramp. This ramp also introduces more natural daylight into the depths of the narrow lot while addressing a range of mobility needs from young families to an aging population that wishes to age-in-place.
Bringing material warmth and softness to the hardscaped neighborhoods of Harlem NY, Neighborwood utilizes cross-laminated timber technology for both ease of construction and high environmental performance.
The material language of Neighborwood is led primarily by cross-laminated timber (CLT), a warm material with a highly functional construction logic and many environmental benefits. These raw interiors do not require additional finishes, but they could be further customized by tenants. Each unit has unique fenestration, informed by the architectural language of its neighbors.
Advantages of CLT Construction:
• Prefabricated for better quality control
• Construction takes days instead of weeks or months
• Optimal for urban sites with challenging staging areas, reducing potential traffic disruption
• Reduces on-site labor - can be assembled with conventional power tools
• Minimizes dust, noise, waste, and other neighborhood disturbances associated with construction
Sustainable Features:
• Carbon sequestration of wood -- volume of wood in this scheme would sequester approximately 260 tons of CO2
• Monolithic enclosure reduces leakage, more efficient in terms of mechanical loads
• Green roof absorbs rainwater, provides insulation benefits, and reduces urban heat-island effect
• Porous ground surfaces and landscape areas with native plantings mitigate stormwater runoff
Location
Harlem, NY
Status
Competition entry organized by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NY HPD)
Date
2019
Type
Residential
Size
3,630 sf
