Common Ground Community, Schermerhorn House

New York, NY, USA

Photo © Albert Vecerka/Esto

Photo © David Sundberg/Esto

Photo © Albert Vecerka/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.