ANTONIO G. GABRIELE ASSOCIATE INSTRUTCTOR OF ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN
NYiT STUDENT WORK 2014 - 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DESIGN V 2015 ECO ENCLAVE
T. MENDES | M. BEJARENO | G. JAMALYH NYIT DESIGN V COMPETITION WINNER
DESIGN VI 2016
RED HOOK PUBLIC LIBRARY T. OKORN
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DESIGN V 2015 SITE
Red Hook, Brooklyn
GENERAL SITE
AREA OF FOCUS
HISTORY
Currently situated at the crossroads of revitalization and historical significance, Red Hook was selected as the site for the 2015 NYiT Community Design Competition. Once an important low-lying agricultural area for pre-Revolution Dutch settlement, Red Hook had seen it’s urban fabric undergo various transformations: from a stronghold during the American Revolution, to an important shipbuilding yard, to the largest manmade harbor on the Eastern Seaboard of its’ time. When the country was consumed by the Great Depression in 1929, the once bustling waterfront gave way to the rise of slums. As the economy stablized, the city commisioned the rehabilition of the area to integrate public green spaces, and the Robert Moses administration started construction on the Red Hook Houses (NYCHA), which at the time was one of the largest housing developments in New York City, housing up to 11,000 residents. Immediately after, the construction of both the Gowanus Expressway and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was completed; while this monolithic piece of infrastructure facilitated greater connection to Manhattan, it disrupted the existing urban fabric and physically and socially isolated the neighborhood from the rest of Brooklyn. Coupled with the industrial shift towards “containerization”, and the subsequent result of port closings, Red Hook devolved into a crime-ridden slum. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that significant efforts were made to address the issues of social and physical isolation and the disconnected waterfront. For example, opened in 2003, Louis J. Valentino Park is one of those areas that demonstrated the unlocked potential successes of rehabilitating maligned and neglected area into public ammenity. In 2004, the zoning was altered to allow the introduction of IKEA, which brought thousands of people from across the city into Red Hook, and further encouraged more large and small scale businesses to set up shop in the area. As the neighborhood grew, existing structures were converted into residential developments at a fast pace - the neighborhood was starting to take on a new texture. In November of 2012, NYC was rocked by Superstorm Sandy, which effectively inflicted billions of dollars of damage to New York City - Red Hook was not exempt, and what was slowly becoming one of the most valuable areas of waterfront development in the city was covered under six feet of water.
STUDIO
Since Red Hook is a small gear in the greater scheme of New York City, I pushed my students to constantly shift scales. To think in one scale is to see only a small part of the larger picture. They were encouraged to investigate and study the existing fabric, social conditions, demography, as well as the needs and wants of Red Hook, but not to dismiss the inherent historical and current importance of Red Hook to Brooklyn, to New York City, to the American Northeast Region, and to the Eastern Seaboard. Transportation infrastructure, water and waste systems, zoning, demographic analysis and issues due to the flood prone topography became the core of their group research to ensure a validated urban proposal. The project I chose to highlight was successful in developing a master plan that addresses those issues, while providing the exceptional design characteristics that I look for in my studios. This project, credited to Tania Mendes, Mariana Bejareno ,and George Jamalyh, was one of the two teams from my Design V studio that tied for first place, and one of three that placed in the annual NYIT Community Design Competition .
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12
2015
ECO ENCLAVE T. MENDES M. BEJARENO G. JAMALYH
RED HOOK, A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A UNIQUE
AND
HISTORIC
CHARM
IS
CURRENTLY IN A STATE OF VULNERABILITY. THE AREA KNOWN FOR PORT INDUSTRY IS
ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS EXPOSURE TO FLOODING,
POLLUTION,
AND
GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION.
ECO ENCLAVE STRIVES TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE CITY BY PROMOTING THE EXISTING CULTURE AND HISTROY WHILE CREATING AN URBAN OASIS PROTECTED AGAINST FLOODING.
THE BERM, WRAPPING AROUND THE CITY,
GIVES THE WATERFRONT BACK TO THE RESIDENTS
WHILE
PROTECTING
THEM
FROM RISING WATER LEVELS AND STORM SURGES.
NEW
PROGRAMS
ARE
INTRODUCED INTO EXISTING ABANDONED
BRICK WAREHOUSES ALONG THE BERM, PROMOTING
FENCES ALONG NORTH EDGE OF SITE
WALKABILITY
PRESERVATION.
IN SITE VACANT LOTSGREENWAYS USED FOR CAR STORAGE OF INWARD,
THE THE
AND
AUXILIARY BERM
GROW
TOWARDS
THE
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, AND CONNECT THE REMAINING FABRIC TO THE BERM.
THE GREENWAYS ARE EXISTING STREETS THAT
HAVE
BEEN
REPURPOSED
FOR
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ONLY, BECOMING A
FLOODABLE PARKSCAPE THAT ACTS AS A GREY WATER CIRCUIT THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND DRAINS THAT THE FLOOD WATER BACK INTO THE BAY.
NETWORKS WITH THE CITY PROMOTE ECONOMIC,
SOCIAL,
REVITALIZATION NETWORK
COMMERCIAL,
AND
THROUH
OF AND
CULTURAL A
NEW
INSTITUTIONAL,
HOUSING
CORRIDORS THAT MEET TOGETHER WITH
THOSE GREENWAYS, NEW TRAM LINE STOPS, AND PLAZAS TO CREATE THREE NEW “DOWNTOWN” AREAS WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
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4
2015
MASTERPLAN RENDERED
AERIAL
PERSPECTIVE
PROPOSED
MASTER
PLAN
HOOK. THE
BERM,
COASTLINE,
WHICH SERVES
OF
FOR
RED
FLANKS AS
THE
BOTH
A
PROTECTIVE BARRIER AND ACTIVE GREEN THRESHOLD TO THE WATERFRONT FOR THE NEWLY PROTECTED RESIDENTS.
THE BERM IS MULTI-FACETED, IN WHICH IT SERVES
TO
PROTECT,
BUT
ALSO
IS
PROGRAMMED TO REFLECT THE NEEDS AND WANTS OF THE COMMUNITY IT FLANKS.
FROM
A
NEW
OUTDOOR
MARKET TO ART AND CULTURAL CENTER,
THE GREEN BELT BECOMES AN INTERACTIVE PART OF THE URBAN FABRIC.
ADDITIONALLY, SINCE SOME OF THE EXISTING
ROADWAYS
ARE
NOW
RESTRICTED TO ONLY PEDESTRIANS, THE
BERM SUPPORTS A NEW AUXILIARY TRANSPORTATIONAL
LAYER
OF
INFRASTRUCTURE (TRAM LINE), AS WELL AS NEW BUS HUBS.
THE INTERIOR AUXILIARY GREENROADS ARE CONNECTED LATERALLY THROUGH NEW ACTIVE URBAN SPACES.
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1 6
2015
IMPLEMENT SOCIAL PROGRAM DETAILED REFLEXIVE STRATEGIC
LOOK
AT
PROGRAMS,
NEW
LOCATIONS
SOCIALLY
HIGHLIGHTING AND
IT’S
CONNECTION TO THE EXISTING URBAN FABRIC.
CREATE NEW DOWNTOWNS DETAILED LOOK AT HOW SOME EXISTING VEHICULAR
ROADWAYS
WILL
CONVERTED TO PEDESTRIAN WAYS
BE TO
SUPPORT A NEW INFLUX OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS, CHANGES IN ZONING, AND NEW
LAYERS
INFRASTRUCTURE.
2 7
OF
TRANSPORTATION
1 8
2015
FLOODING E CO ENCLAVE T . MENDES INFRASTRUCTURE M. BEJARENO G. JAMALYH
DETAILED LOOK AT HOW GREENWAYS ACT AS PERMEABLE SURFACE FOR FLOOD
WATER DRAINAGE, AND STORM SURGE RETENTION BASINS.
NEW
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE DETAILED LOOK AT PROPOSED TRAM LINE,
REVAMPED BUS LINE, AND INTEGRATED BICYCLE LANES.
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10 1
2015
PROGRAMMATIC E CO ENCLAVE T . MENDES SECTION M. BEJARENO G. JAMALYH
CORRIDOR FUNCTIONALITY
PERSPECTIVE SECTION
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12 1
2015
PERSPECTIVE E CO ENCLAVE T . MENDES RENDERING M. BEJARENO OF BERM G. JAMALYH
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DESIGN VI2015 SITE
Red Hook, Brooklyn
GENERAL SITE
AREA OF FOCUS
HISTORY
As aforementioned, Red Hook is a rapidly growing neighborhood in New York Metropolitan area with many new residential buildings recently built, and thus adding to the local population in the last few years. Even though the residual effects of superstorm Sandy have lingered in the neighborhood for the last four years, the current lack of affordable housing in the remaining boroughs of the New York Metropolitan area makes this neighborhood a desirable location to live and grow for the working population. The current Wolcott Street Branch Library (WSBL) of the Brooklyn Public Library System is located at the corner of Wolcott and Dwight Streets. The WSBL is a small public library in need of major upgrading/renovation, and expansion due to the demands of both, the rising population and the new flood elevations regulations set by the NYC FEMA guidelines. The new building to be constructed at this site has to address the current needs of the general public - the young children, teens as well as adults. It is expected to be open every day of the week and some late evenings to provide a venue for small gatherings, language classes, child development, yoga instruction, etc., as well as the access to printed and electronic resources and periodicals for the whole community.
STUDIO
The core of the Design VI studio is overall building integration without neglecting the design sensibility of a great public amenity. My studio was structured to first address the building site, it’s context within the neighborhood (both socially and physically), and it’s intrinsic geographic/topographic conditions. Once this analysis was done, the provided list of program was approached and dissected through the analysis of modern/contemporary precedents. Once this particular phase was completed, we would then proceed to tackle the programmatic relationships within their respective buildings - site situation, entry, procession/circulation, public/private and spacial distribution. All the while understanding that building structure, lighting, and HVAC systems should not be an afterthought or a general requirement, but rather should be complementary in the expression of the overall design idea. Students were pushed to consistently switch their mindsets to continually address how their building touches the site, addresses the street and public movements, as well as how it structurally stands and how the envelope operates, how/when their building embraces and controls the allowances of natural light, as well as potentials with different types of heating and cooling systems and natural ventilation. Highlighted in this section is a particular project, credited to Tyler Okorn, which is a relevant example of how the union of those aformentioned components can create a complete and functional building, while staying true to an individual aesthetic.
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16
RED HOOK PUBLIC LIBRARY T. OKORN
PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND AMENITIES ARE THE INTERCONNECTING FORCE WITHIN
COMMUNITIES. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IS
CONSTANTLY UNDERGOING CHANGES TO MEET THE HIGH DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE RESOURCES IT PROVIDES IN ALIGNING WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND PROGRAMS. CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEVERE
WEATHER
CIRCUMSTANCES
PROMPT ARCHITECTURE TO RESPOND TO GLOBALLY
CHANGING
RESILIENCY
EFFORTS ALONG WITH THE LIFELINES PROVIDED TO THE COMMUNITY. AN EVALUATION OF THESE CONSIDERATIONS
GENERATES A SYNTHESIS OF DESIGN AND ETHICS TO FACILITATE THE LONGEVITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.
THE SITE RESIDES IN AN DISTRICT
IN
BROOKLYN.
CENTRAL
FENCES ALONG NORTH EDGE OF SITE
SUBSIDIZED
THREE
IN SITE , AND VACANT LOTSAPARTMENTS USED FOR CAR STORAGE
ZONING HOOK,
RED
ADJACENCIES
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS,
R-5
STORY
INCLUDE
HOUSING,
WALK-UP
LIGHT COMMERCIAL
ENTITIES. THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY AND
NATURE OF RED HOOK IS PRESERVED THROUGH ZONING REGULATIONS. THE LOW
LYING
ELEVATION
AND
CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO THE WATER RESULT IN HIGH RISK
FLOODING
PROVED
TO
BE
HAZARDS,
DEVASTATING
HURRICANE SANDY IN 2012.
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WHICH WITH
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CONCEPT FORM
FOLLOWS
FUNCTION
AS
THE
SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN LIBRARIES ARE DICTATED
BY
THE
COMFORT
AND
ERGONOMICS OF THE USER. STITCHING TOGETHER THESE SPACES TO FORM FLUID
MOTIONS GENERATES THE FORM OF THE SPACE INFORMING THE GEOMETRY OF THE BUILDING
AS
WHOLE.
A
THE
JUXTAPOSITION OF HARD ORTHAGONAL SURFACES TO SOFT ORGANIC LANDSCAPES INSIDE
AND
OUT
OF
THE
LIBRARY
INFLUENCES THE MOOD AND LEARNING
CAPACITY OF USERS. LARGE SCALE MOVES
ARE DERIVED FROM SMALL INTIMATE GESTURES TO FULFILL COHESIVE DESIGN INTENTIONS. FLOODING, SUSTAINABILITY, AND
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN CRITERIA.
ARE
PARAMOUNT
PROGRAMMING BUILDING FORM IS GENERATED THROUGH RIGOROUS
PROGRAMNING
AND
ANALYSIS INFORMING CORRESPONDENCE AND FLUIDITY OF LIBRARY
FUNCTIONS.
PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES FURTHER DICTATE ORGANIZATIONAL MOVEMENTS IN MASSING IN DIALOGUE WITH PARTS TO THE COMPOSITION AS A WHOLE. THE
DESIGN SEEKS TO FACILITATE A SYNTHESIS OF
SOCIAL,
LIBRARY,
AND
TECHNOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS TO SERVICE THE MODERN DEVELOPING COMMUNITY.
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20
SPACE PLANNING THE GROUND FLOOR IS A COMPOSITION OF
HARD
AND
SOFT
LANDSCAPE
SURFACES. THE EXTERIOR IS INDICATIVE OF
THE ORGANIC GEOMETRY THAT SPEAKS TO
THE FLOOD AND FLOODABLE SPACE, THEREFOR GENERATING PUBLIC SPACE FOR
INTIMATE INTERACTIONS AS WELL AS PUBLIC DOMAINS. IN ADDITION, THE
GROUND FLOOR IS A FLOOD READY SPACE PROVIDING
PUBLIC
LOADING/RECEIVING
PARKING
AND
SPACES
WITH
VENTED FLOOD WALLS TO RELIEVE EXCESS WATER.
THE SECOND FLOOR BECOMES THE MAIN FLOOR AND ENCOMPASSES THE MAIN
PUBLIC FUNCTIONS SUCH AS ASSEMBLY, AND COMPUTER ACCESS. THE THIRD AND
FOURTH FLOORS BECOME THE MAIN LIBRARY SPACE AND THEY SEQUENTIALLY FLOW FROM ONE TO ANOTHER JOINING
THE VARIOUS BOOK COLLECTIONS, AS
WELL AS A MULTITUDE OF READING SPACES IN VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS AND ATMOSPHERES.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND CHILDREN’S
LIBRARY ARE THE HIGHEST SPACES IN THE BUILDING AS THE COMPRESS TO SUGGEST THE INTIMACY AND NATURE OF THE PROGRAMMABLE TERRACES
ARE
EXTERIOR INTRODUCED
THROUGHOUT AS AN EXTENSION
OF
READING
AS
ROOMS
MULTI-PURPOSE
LIBRARY VENUES.
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SPACE.
AS
SPACE
WELL FOR
LARGER
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TECTONICS CLEAN MATERIALITY DELIVERS A COHESIVE DESIGN
ON
THE
EXTERIOR.
METAL
PANELING AND SCREENS DERIVE THE CHARACTER OF THE BUILDING THROUGH CHANGES IN SCALE AND EXECUTION WITH COLOR
AND
PROGRAMMATIC CAREFULLY
PROPORTION. ELEMENTS
BALANCED
TO
THE ARE
CREATE
A
WHOLESOME COMPOSITION THAT RISES GENTLY
THROUGH
CONDITIONS.
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THE
EXISTING
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STRUCTURE A CONCRETE TWO WAY CONTINUOUS FLAT SLAB WITH DROP PANELS AT THE COLUMNS OFFERS MAXIMUM FLEXIBILTY AS
A
STRUCTURAL
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
SYSTEM.
THE
ORGANIC
GEOMETRY INSIDE AND OUT OF THE LIBRARY SPEAKS TO A LANGUAGE OF DESIGN THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE WITH STEEL ALONE. A
SERIES
OF
STRUCTURAL
CORES
ENCOMPASSES FIRE STAIRS, ELEVATOR
SHAFTS, FACILITIES, MECHANICAL, AND
SUPPORT SPACES. THESE CORES ARE EXPRESSED THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN AS
CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE VERTICAL ELEMENTS TO A COMPLEX DIALOGUE OF BEARING
AND NON-BEARING ELEMENTS. THERMAL BRIDGES
ARE
ELIMINATED
WITH
A
CONTINUOUS EXTERIOR ENVELOPE USING INSULATION
AND
GASKETS
STRUCTURAL INTERSECTIONS.
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AT
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HVAC THE SELECTION OF A MECHANICAL SYSTEM PROMPTED AN IN DEPTH RESEARCH FOR EFFICIENT
MEANS
OF
HEATING
AND
COOLING THE LIBRARY. PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES WERE IMPLEMENTED IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF SUCH SYSTEMS, AS
WELL AS REDUCING UP FRONT COST AND THE COST OF RUNNING THE SYSTEM OVER TIME. SAVING ENERGY WAS POSSIBLE THROUGH
A
(VARIABLE
VRF
REFRIGERANT) FLOW SYSTEM, WHICH HEATS
AND
COOLS
SIMULTANEOUSLY
REFRIGERANT
TO
DELIVER
SUSTAINABLE AND ADAPTABLE RESULTS SPECIFIC TO EACH SPACE.
THE SPECIFIC HEAD OF THE REFRIGERANT IS
MUCH HIGHER THAN AIR, RESULTING IN
SUBSTANTIALLY LESS HEAT LOSS WITHIN THE SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM IS NOTABLY MUCH QUIETER THAN A FORCED AIR
SYSTEM, AND GENERATES MUCH MORE FLEXIBILITY THROUGH THE USE OF SMALL DIAMETER PIPING. FROM THE SMALL
ROOFTOP WATER SOURCE UNITS, SPACES
ARE CONDITIONED BY MULTIPLE CASSETTE UNITS THAT CONVERT THE ENERGY INTO
HEATING AND COOLING. EACH SPACE CAN BE WIRED INDIVIDUALLY THROUGH ZONE
ALLOCATION
TO
PROVIDE
MAXIMUM COMFORT THROUGH USER CONTROL.
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FLOODING PERSPECTIVE RENDERING
INTERIOR PERSPECTIVES
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