Multifamily Residential

Category Subtitle

SATORI

Project Manager/Designer: Phillip Fox

Completion Date: December 2006

Location: Carrol Gardens

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The concept for the interior design was Japanese Zen, which is incorporated into the design in many ways: The lobby "brings the outside in" and incorporates nature: lava stone bushhammered flooring carried from the exterior pavement leading to the building; barrisol in highgloss ceilings (giving the feeling of "air") starting in the vestibule and carried to the lobby; bamboo plants on the exterior path, ivy plants in the vestibule and keiri board walls (recycled sorghum plant panels) in the lobby; 'random' pendant light fixture by "Moooi", representing the moon. Open kitchen in a serene light blue polyester base cabinet doors and same color back painted glass for wall cabinet doors. Countertop on side of cabinets continues to floor - inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water" Large living rooms are raised on a platform, inspired by Zen interiors. This gives a feeling of importance to the living room and helps separate spaces in an open space configuration. Floor are black walnut - inspired by the Zen. The uniformity of the walnut wood gives a clean design. In bathrooms, porcelain tiles that are cut to 7/8" strips, installed on the walls and floor give the bathroom a spacious feeling with strong horizontal lines. The faucet has a special feature of a separated spout and control that can be installed up to 13" away from the spout giving convenience of use both for adults and for small children.

Ella 82

Project Manager/Designer: Tamar Kisilevitz

Completion Date: 2006

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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The concept of contrasting transparent and solid is apparent and constant throughout the building; from the basic façade scheme of free-standing walls placed against large panes of glass, to balcony details and the reflective quality of the various materials. The 9-unit development comprises custom layouts for two and three bedroom apartments, including duplex apartments, terraces, balconies, rooftop areas and a public rear yard that communicates with the building via a steel bridge spanning more than 20 feet over a sunken garden that brings light into the cellar. Each unit enjoys high ceilings, open kitchens with custom sand-blasted glass cabinetry and top of the line appliances, wide plank floors, luxurious five-piece bathrooms, spacious bedrooms and direct access from the elevator. Despite its elegant and serene exterior, the building has a distinct ability to blend into its immediate context of neighboring manufacturing buildings yet keep its residential appearance.

Saint Marks Place

Project Manager/Designer: Tamar Kisilevitz

Completion Date: June 2006

Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

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The "Jewel" of these two seemingly ordinary buildings is the two duplex units in the center that provide a focal point for the interlocking of two squares. The facade is further articulated through the "tearing apart" of the closing points for the squares, in a way that plays with the eye, and provides a small balcony at the same time.

125 North 10

Project Manager/Designer: Yury Yagudayev

Completion Date: March 2006

Location: Northside, Brooklyn

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Residential development in Brooklyn's emerging neighborhoods yielded many new projects constructed throughout 2003. As sites became increasingly harder to find, developers pushed their boundaries to more up-and-coming areas. Recognizing the scarcity of residential housing, The City Planning Commission modified zoning districts, boundaries and use regulations allowing for greater availability of sites. New neighborhoods began to form in areas where manufacturing and warehousing were once the norm. The entire Northwestern boundary along the waterfront (including Williamsburg and Greenpoint), became fodder for the planner's dreams. Designed using traditional and modern materials, the facades of the buildings represent a modern, clean style - typical of our firm's work.

Metropolitan Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Stephen Conte

Completion Date: December 2006

Location: Williamsburg

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The building acts as a threshold that respects its material surroundings. Emphasis is placed on the verticality of the narrow lot by dividing the proportions of the elevation into two volumes: public (living space) and private (sleeping space). The building is didactic in the sense that the level of each floor is evident on the facade, which helps delineate a scale to the residential portion. The proportions of the long rectilinear volumes create a shift in scale to manufacturing.

Brighton 8th Street

Project Manager/Designer: Yuriy Menzak

Completion Date: September 2006

Location: Brighton Beach

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This luxurious loft style condominium building stands tall within an irregularly shaped lot, which stimulated trivial design issues earlier on in the project. The street façade of expresses the integration of several visually balanced masses, introducing a new experience into rapidly changing neighborhood. The brick plane incorporates large picture windows and two separate semi circular balconies projecting from the façade. The concrete volume that juts out from the façade is flooded by a wall of windows with the interruption of a balcony on the 4th level. The stucco balconies vary in their dimensions and are placed in accordance with the individual floor layouts. Elements of luxury living are carried thorugh to the interiors, with high ceilings, lavish finishes and fixtures.

The North star

Project Manager/Designer: Roberto de los Rios

Completion Date: May 2006

Location: Harlem, USA

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The future of FDB will be steered by projects such as this one: Modern buildings with top of the line features, which are sought after by buyers seeking relief from higher priced areas in the city. With this in mind, The North Star does not seek to detach itself from its surroundings, and considers future ones as well. The idea of contrasting the old and blighted with modern materials such as metal panels over a light stud wall and glass curtain wall was key in the façade design. Stucco serves as a sympathetic element that does not overwhelm its surroundings. With two apartments per floor and one apartment per floor on the top three floors, the ten story slender tower will enjoy amenities such as a gym and a bicycle room at the first floor. Concrete slab floors spin off a central structural core that houses the stairs and elevators, leaving the apartment layouts open and void of structure, and minimizing unused circulation space.

Marcy Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: November 2006

Location: Willamsburg

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Situated just across from the Brooklyn Queens Connecting Highway, the intent of this 36,000 square foot residential development is to shelter its residents from the energies of such a high traffic zone, while providing a point of refuge within the green tranquility of the residents' courtyard. With its 28 rental units and medical office space, the $7 million development incorporates an effervescent pattern of window openings to animate the façade walls from both the interior and the exterior of the building. Additionally, to simplify the design and construction only four window sizes are specified in the front façade. The aim of such a tactic was to allow the residents to focus on the pattern of the interior wall plane rather than be distracted by the less than desirable exterior views afforded by the project's siting. The building contrasts the contextual rigor of its immediate neighbor and seeks to manifest the ongoing transformation of the outlying neighborhood. It's a vibrant but simple building for an exciting new neighborhood.

Grand Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: February 2006

Location: Clinton Hill

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The lot lines are re-established to provide a logical yet intrinsic connection within the buildings. Therefore, the enlarged façade area around the buildings allows for each unit to acquire more windows experiencing more views. A combination of steel columns and concrete block walls set the basis for the vertical elements of the structure while a mixture of steel beams and concrete floor slabs provide the stability for each floor. Each apartment is designed to include double height living rooms and main bedroom. A tight core of kitchens and bathrooms serve these areas and convene all major mechanical and plumbing shafts to attain cluster-free living spaces while reducing the cost of the building significantly. The innovative curtain- window design will permit a large amount of natural light and accentuate the loft-like social area of each unit. Assorted materials such as brick, stone and stucco will furnish the building with an elegant yet innovative exterior which truly represents the units it boasts.

Pacific Street

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: March 2006

Location: Clinton Hill

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New buildings are meant to enhance their context. Offsetting grey brick veneer against the different tones of stucco and aluminum creates a visually interesting composition. White stucco element wrapping around the building give it a sense of lightness, or "passing through". The vertical line of black stucco along the left side of the building ties together the various elements in the façade. Punched round windows in the center give the viewer a visual break from the grid of the facade.

Dekalb Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: June 2006

Location: Clinton Hill

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Varying heights and multiple setbacks create playful juxtapositions of massing. Punched windows with grid-like mullions are setoff against striated glass curtain walls. Different tones of grey stucco can also enhance the rhythm of the facade.

The Williamsburg East

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: June 2006

Location: East Williamsburg

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An abandoned one story warehouse building is converted and enlarged to create a special residential development with single unit apartments on each of the new upper floors. By following the New York City Zoning Resolution for height factor calculations and alternate sky exposure planes, a tower rises from the existing base of the building without setbacks or offsets. These two bedroom - two bath floor plans contain separate utility rooms for heating and cooling units as well as a hot water heater and laundry rooms. Elevators open directly into the apartments, which, when coupled with the ten foot clear ceiling height and open kitchens, create a loft like feel to the units for the buyers that is a tribute to the original artist loft concept. Multiple balconies at the front and rear give 360 The base of the building was converted into parking and a small medical office, while the non-conforming use was continued as a studio for the owner of the development, a proficient artist. This space will serve as the Brooklyn location for his creations. The upper floors of the building contain have two units with double height spaces. With no neighboring buildings at this height, the buyers of these units will enjoy unobstructed views form every room.

Carlton Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: March 2006

Location: Clinton Hill

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Creating a solid surface by using aluminum louvers as screens achieves an effect through which the eye reads the building as a geometric shape; a stone box divided by a cross shape filled in by louvers. Subtle detail variances, such as the louvers wrapping around the building or the offset window in the dormers, give this otherwise symmetric building the much needed asymmetry it deserves.

East 14th Street

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: August 2006

Location: Midwood

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On a unique corner lot on a quiet Midwood block, a special building was created to meet the demand for young families eager to remain in Brooklyn. Built within the context of small scale apartment buildings in the area, this modern interpretation makes a bold statement in an otherwise sedate setting. Large expanses of glass and an extensive use of metal panels and trim created a style that blends with, yet separates itself from its milieu. Family style simplex and duplex apartments of two and three bedrooms with a ground floor medical office space and parking garages capture all of the floor area and bulk permitted by the Quality Housing Program of the New York City Zoning Resolution.

Clinton Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Ilana Kushnir

Completion Date: March 2006

Location: Clinton Hill

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Utilizing existing buildings can be a daunting undertaking when the aesthetic character contradicts a modern vernacular. This existing structure presented such a challenge. Built to house a population of 50 children, this modest 1930's two story brick building, represented an institutional style inherent in buildings of that period. By maintaining the original facade and enveloping it in the new addition, its historic nature could be preserved and a design was created that acts as a backdrop to this small jewel. A simple palette of modern finishes, including brick and metal panels, provide a clean, minimalist backdrop to the remaining structure. Large expanses of glass and high ceilings give the new apartments a light and airy feeling. Other amenities include a full service parking garage, exercise and meeting rooms, outdoor recreation decks, Italian kitchen and bath cabinetry, European fixtures and marble and granite finishes. A large medical office at the first floor makes this a mixed use development. These new residential opportunities into the Clinton Hill Historic District will assist with the stability of the area.

32nd Street

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: May 2006

Location: Greenwood

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Designed to fit in with neighboring brownstones, this small new building has a stoop with wrought iron railings, a front yard and wood framed windows.

Bedford Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: September 2006

Location: Williamsburg

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Bedford Avenue is fast becoming a prime housing and commercial area for this burgeoning group. Long a major traffic artery, the avenue was modified to one- way northbound traffic several years ago in an attempt to relieve congestion and move vehicles to the downtown Brooklyn core. A housing stock of older prewar apartment buildings, row houses and a mix of commercial and industrial buildings make the avenue an eclectic palette of facades, uses and materials. It was paramount to create a mixed-use building, able to house large families and provide much needed commercial space. A building facade integrating contextual detailing in a modern package allows new and old to co-exist together. Traditional materials of masonry and stone blend together with metal paneling and synthetic stucco. Distinct facades create a look attractive to residential as well as commercial owners. Outdoor space, including large roof terraces and balconies, provide an amenity, which is more a necessity within this religious culture. The success of the project is enhanced by its ability to be contextual with its neighbors, helping to make a transition between the heights of the adjacent buildings.

Park Avenue

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: March 2006

Location: Williamsburg

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Building in this community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn requires a knowledge of lifestyle that dictates the program and layout of the units within. Families numbering eight to twelve members typically reside in one apartment. Four to five bedrooms give the necessary space to these rapidly growing families. At 15 - 1900 sq. ft., they are larger than the majority of apartments being provided today and fill a niche that has been ignored by most builders. All apartments have expansive kosher kitchens with separate Passover kitchens and dinette areas to accommodate the families. A separate dining room is the focus of the design layout. An oversized utility room containing a full size washer/dryer, water heater, furnace and air conditioning turns each apartment into a self-contained unit. A variety of masonry colors and simple detailing and a stone base provide a contemporary look to this classically laid out building.

South 3rd Street

Project Manager/Designer: Robert M. Scarano jr.

Completion Date: January 2006

Location: East Williamsburg

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Building a multifamily, elevator building on a 25 ft. lot requires utilization of space achieved in naval design. Every foot of space must be conserved to allow for a minimum of circulation and a maximum of apartment area. A front and rear layout further reduces the circulation to allow for greater room size. Large windows flood the apartments both front and rear with natural light. A simple palette of materials including wood veneers, stone, stucco and metal panel make a modern composition that is striking and elegant. The verticality of the building is dramatic and helps to seal the gap between the two existing buildings. The layering of material is continued on the rear using window bays to dramatize the feel of the spaces and this motif is continued on the inside spaces. An unusual feature in this development is the fully excavated yard, which has a small two story studio space accessible only through an outdoor garden space from the rear apartments. Stone bathrooms with wood vanities and glass shower enclosures are standard features in all apartments and modern kitchens with European cabinetry and stainless steel appliances add to the custom look of these units.