Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing

Huron Street

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano Jr.

Completion Date: January 2002

Location: Greenpoint

Visit: http://www.strategic-construction.com

Completed in January 2002, Huron Senior Housing is a new 19,000 square foot Senior Housing Development containing thirty two apartments, offices and auxiliary spaces. The design for the building was influenced by its neighbors on the block, which offers an eclectic array of brick styles, stone and wood-frame sided buildings. Masonry and stone are used in concert, resulting in a striking yet sensitive design. The collaboration between Scarano Architects and Strategic Construction Development Group, both with a rich background in affordable housing, produced a successful housing solution for a well deserving senior population, as well as a building, which acts as a pioneer in this slowly evolving neighborhood. The North Brooklyn Development Corporation, a private non-profit venture, came to the aid of this neighborhood to fill the pressing need for affordable senior housing in the Greenpoint Neighborhood of Brooklyn. This initiative created (10) permanent and dozens of temporary construction jobs.

Ingersoll-Whitman Houses

Project Manager/Designer: Tamera Talbert, Charles D. Diehl

Completion Date: June 2006

Location: Fort Greene

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Our investigation of the existing buildings reveals that the twenty-seven (27) six-story buildings will only require a cosmetic renovation of the existing facilities. However, the eight (8) high-rise buildings will require a more substantial renovation, which will result in the net loss of as many as 75 units in those buildings. In order to compensate for this loss of apartments, a vertical expansion of all existing buildings is proposed as outlined in the Design Proposal. A summary structural analysis revealed that the 6-story and 13-story buildings would be capable of supporting only one more floor each. The 11-story buildings will support two more floors. These additional floors will be constructed from lightweight steel framing and have a stucco exterior finish. Pitched roofs are proposed because the New York City Building Code does not require roof access in buildings that have a roof pitch of 20° or more. So, for the 31 buildings that will have only one additional floor, the existing stairs to the current roof may be used without alteration. Furthermore, a pitched metal roof has a significantly longer and less maintenance intensive lifespan than low slope roof systems.

The Douglass

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano Jr.

Completion Date: December 2003

Location: Harlem, USA

Visit: http://www.strategic-construction.com

The site was developed through the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Cornerstone Program with funding by the NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC). The site consists of thirteen city owned vacant lots and one private lot, and is a key component in the City’s efforts to revitalize a large stretch of Frederick Douglass Boulevard from West 110th Street to West 125th Street in Harlem. The building was designed to complement the existing architecture in the area while providing an aesthetic that is fresh and sophisticated. The exterior is composed of two brick types with pre-cast concrete elements used to accent the cornices, sills and base of the building. Of the 137 rental units, 95 units, representing 70% of the rental units, were offered at rent levels affordable to middle income New Yorkers, as set by HDC’s New Housing Opportunities Program guidelines.

Anderson Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano Jr.

Completion Date: April 2004

Location: Bronx, New York

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972 Anderson Avenue was a building owned by the city of New York and Maintained by their housing Arm H.P.D. Long forgotten by the city due to its abandoned condition, it did not stop a group of people in the neighborhood from binding together and renovating the building for their families. The organization turned to Scarano Architect PLLC to assist with the formal planning and proper financing for the project. The building was upgraded to include the previously lacking heating and cooling systems, and many code deficiencies such as fire protection and hadicap accessibility were corrected. A management and development company was selected as a sponsor, and with the help of proper planning and design a new stable property has been added to the housing stock of the city.