Statement

This project organizes the site with a pedestrian street and alleys to control traffic while creating a pedestrian friendly community for the residents. By using narrow streets and parallel parking, car speeds are reduced. Grass pavers in parts of the alleys allow storm water to return to the ground. The Pedestrian street flows to a park with a playground and community gardens. There is also a community room adjacent to the park that can be used for large gatherings. By carving into the sloping site this design comfortably achieves the program goals without building taller than necessary. The commercial space also carves into the slope to articulate the corner of Midland & Nassau Streets. This is an advantageous location for commercial due to close walking proximity to the adjacent neighborhoods. Any future development east of Nassau Street could mirror this part of the site into a mini Main Street for all the surrounding community. The dwellings will be heated and cooled with a geothermal heat pump system run by photovoltaic roof panels on an active tracking system. In an effort to reduce the amount of PVC in the project, windows will be fiberglass with low-e insulated glass and siding will be fiber cement board. Walls will be 2x6 studs spaced 24” with wet-blown non-toxic insulation, providing a sturdy and well-insulated structure with minimum amount of wood. The curved metal roof can be built by ladder framing the rafters. Floors between units will have resilient channels, acoustical insulation, and cork flooring on soundboard to reduce to sound transmission between units.