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SUPERCORE

YEAR:Fall 2014

SIZE:500,000 SF

LOCATION:Spanish Harlem, NYC

TEAM: Jordan Meerdink, Peter Feigenbaum

 

While many housing projects make use of a standard building core as a method to organize circulation and layout, Supercore re-envisions the core to maximum privacy, efficiency, and flexibility. The new core houses not only the circulatory and mechanical functions but also includes self-contained units for bathrooms and kitchens. These units are arranged to minimize the number of wet walls. All utility spaces are squeezed into the small­est footprint possible. Housing all the essential building functions in a comprehensive yet compact core allows for a large amount of flexibility in living spaces and exteriors. Using this core as an anchor, lightweight structural frames are simply attached to add living units. These prefabricated plug-in units have different layouts that aggregate to achieve the desired mix of one, two, and three bedroom apart­ments. Each unit is accessible by an elevator connection and a semi-private staircase.

Throughout the develop­ment elevated park and outdoor spaces are created from voids in between units. The floor plan is organized around a perimeter of ground floor retail space that surrounds a gently sloping green lawn. This lawn is extended over FDR drive to connect the lawn into the existing network of green belts ringing Manhattan.

PROJECT INFO

YEAR: Fall 2014

SIZE: 500,000 SF

LOCATION: Spanish Harlem, NYC

While many housing projects make use of a standard building core as a method to organize circulation and layout, Supercore re-envisions the core to maximum privacy, efficiency, and flexibility. The new core houses not only the circulatory and mechanical functions but also includes self-contained units for bathrooms and kitchens. These units are arranged to minimize the number of wet walls. All utility spaces are squeezed into the small­est footprint possible. Housing all the essential building functions in a comprehensive yet compact core allows for a large amount of flexibility in living spaces and exteriors. Using this core as an anchor, lightweight structural frames are simply attached to add living units. These prefabricated plug-in units have different layouts that aggregate to achieve the desired mix of one, two, and three bedroom apart­ments. Each unit is accessible by an elevator connection and a semi-private staircase.

Throughout the develop­ment elevated park and outdoor spaces are created from voids in between units. The floor plan is organized around a perimeter of ground floor retail space that surrounds a gently sloping green lawn. This lawn is extended over FDR drive to connect the lawn into the existing network of green belts ringing Manhattan.