Urban Residential Design Legacy & Philosophy

Residential Legacy

The design of residential and mixed-use buildings is an integral part of Davis Brody Bond’s 70+ year legacy of contributions to the built fabric of New York City. . The firm’s early work involved the design of several large scale high-rise housing complexes in New York City. These projects, notably Riverbend and Waterside, won recognition for setting new standards of design in a neglected area of practice. Not only did they generate new housing typologies, but they also became known for using innovative construction methods. Today, our residential projects include a full range of planning, design and adaptive reuse ranging from luxury condominiums to low and mixed income projects for public and private developers and residential projects for academic and institutional clients.

Master Planning

Davis Brody Bond has a long history of working with private and public institutions to develop comprehensive master plans that serve as foundations for future growth and development. During the master planning process, the unique character, mission and purpose of a college, corporation, neighborhood guides us in the development of options which allow us to meet the technical and spatial criteria of various programs.

Our record of developing master plans has emphasized several areas of expertise. One is our focus on urban campuses and their unique constraints and challenges which often involve densely established sites with significant existing buildings. Much of this urban planning work has included identifying underutilized structures as candidates for adaptive reuse, strategic additions and renovation. In addition, many of these urban environments serve visitors which place greater emphasis on the quality of public and gathering spaces which can foster greater social interaction and business collaboration.

A second criterion guiding our process is the need to explore and develop options for input, review and evaluation by our clients. This becomes critical as we explore strategies for implementation, phasing and long-term flexibility. Through our practice and experience we understand the need for practical and cost effective planning solutions that maximize flexibility and provide an infrastructure which will support adaptation to new functions over time.

Finally, we believe that sustainable development is a goal which underpins all aspects of a master plan. A campus or development expansion is a major expenditure of natural resources with an impact that will extend for decades, and the master planning process must include sustainability as an objective and evaluation criteria in reviewing options. This will include opportunities to improve central energy infrastructure and overall energy use, evaluation of development sites and the re-use existing facilities in terms of environmental impact and building performance, strategies to continue to build on an institution’s outdoor spaces as natural environments, performance criteria for new construction, and coordination with relevant policies and initiatives (such as transportation) that will impact a growing development as a whole.