NINA CHANEL ABNEY STUDIO

RENOVATION + ART GALLERY COLD SPRING, NEW YORK

TEAM: N. RICH | M. PETERSON |V. KELEKAR

Nina Chanel Abney is a New York based African American contemporary artist and painter who focuses on gender, race, and politics through a pop art lens as evidenced by her collage-like paintings. The artist approached Peterson Rich Office to renovate an abandoned autobody shop in Cold Spring, New York into a residence, studio, and gallery that she hoped could deviate from the bucolic nature of the town and become another focal point in the upstate New York arts scene. While the interior walls and roof were unable to be salvaged, the structural CMU walls remained and were reclad as to preserve the original exterior language with an updated finish. Key considerations when designing for this project were developing a flexible interior space and optimizing natural yet indirect lighting. The interior plan is organized by a central corridor that creates a liminal space between the public and private programs while the large openings allow the user to open the living area of the residence to gallery space when hosting exhibits. The sawtooth roof was an homage to the clerestory windows at the renowned Dia: Beacon. I helped develop plans and images for the inital client package and a 1/2” scale physical model for in house use. The model highlights the contrasting opacity of the original mass and the translucent and lantern like quality of the new studio.

Rpa Nycha

SPECULATIVE URBAN ANALYSIS + DESIGN

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

TEAM: N. RICH | M. PETERSON | B. HOCHBERG

Like other comparably dense, metropolitan cities, New York City faces an affordable housing crisis as market prices and the cost of living increases, and wages stagnate. Particularly in the last decade, the city has faced increasing gentrification toward outer boroughs - areas of New York that were, and still are, predominantly occupied by minority or marginalized communities and those who cannot afford to live in Manhattan. In an effort to mitigate rising housing costs and socioeconomic inaccessibility, New York City and the federal government (through the FHA and HUD) subsidized large developments of affordable housing overseen by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). However, due to budgetary constraints, the size, and number of developments spread out across five boroughs, the developments have fallen into disrepair, and the quality of living for the tenants increasingly unacceptable.

Peterson Rich Office has been continually studying and synthesizing future models of NYCHA developments working to reframe affordable housing solutions. From their first study “9x18”, examining the redevelopment of surface parking lots, to “Roof x Roof”, which explored the outcomes of selling and buying transferable air rights to increase capital and test models of vertical expansion of existing developments, the firm is currently working with the Regional Plan Association (RPA) and NYCHA to develop widespread, scalable building changes to be implemented across all properties in order to mitigate the deterioration of existing buildings, introduce a new system of programming, and redistribute underutilized space. I worked on statistical research, urban analysis of NYCHA developments, case study analyses, developed detailed 3D models of four NYCHA developments across the boroughs, created design diagrams, and organized presentation packages for the RPA.

VERTICAL EXTENSION

BUILDING INFILL

EXTEND + RECLAD

Old Fulton is a Type II residential renovation project in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood overlooking the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The renovation is currently slated for substantial completion by the end of August 2021. The client wanted a space that reflected his personality and aesthetic values, but was also rooted in clean details and timeless design that was suitable for a future family. While the design draws from many contemporary and modern influences, it maintains a distinct sense of art deco and industrialism that is inherent to New York. The materiality and color palette are aligned with Scandinavian modernism in the light and natural qualities, but

I have been involved with this project before the sale on the property was closed. I prepared all CAD drawings for the inital DOB submission, co-op board review, and all DD and CD sets. Additionally, I assisted the client in procuring an AOR and met with all General Contractors and subcontractors to review bid proposals. After all drawings passed DOB Plan Examination, I am coordinating with the GC, subcontractors, and vendors, for quote and scope comparisons for materials, fabrication, and installation as we undergo continual value engineering and change orders.