3800 Lofts
The project is pedestrian scaled contextual contemporary design and urban infill grayfield redevelopment, enriching the public realm while fulfilling the private program. It revitalizes the center of this historic neighborhood on a busy transit corridor. The design demonstrates modern intervention that is sensitive to its historical context in scale, massing, form, materials/finishes and detail language.
The intent is to re-interpret the mixed-use Main Street building in intensity of dialogue with historic context. The rich contrast is sensed from the architecture of forms and spaces rather than through contrast in materials and introversion. The architecture creates order and place against the autism of the past decades’ intrusions.
Mass and wall. The weight of the walls acknowledges the urban obligations, and the elemental needs of shelter and protection allow tranquility within. The monumental openings frame the intensity of the city outside and re-affirm the importance of natural light for in contemporary private life. This 3 dimensional approach for the interface between private and public realm re-establishes the sense of dwelling and place. 3 story recessed voids in each bay and expansive cantilevered balconies speak to the threshold between private and public spaces. The volume is the result of the intersection of commercial artery with residential fabric in the parallelogram site shape. Spaces are subtracted as in sculpture from this massing. The street wall is divided into 40’ bays to relate to the scale of existing buildings. This order is staggered between front and rear.
The program consisted of 22 residential units over ground floor retail. Resident parking below grade; retail parking at street and in rear along a new alley. Open plan urban residential spaces with full height glass. Over half the units are corner units suitable for families and shared living, 2 BR/2.5 BA. Other unit types include 2-level lofts and 1- BRs.
Behind a proposed 22 unit mixed-use condominium building, we designed 24 townhouses and 4 SFD transition into the residential neighborhood behind, with 4, 3-1/2, 2-1/2, and 2 stories (including affordable dwellings). This is a block length application of the transect from the corridor main street down into the detached single family dwellings. The plan completes the street grid, extending a dead end street through and providing cross connections midblock.
The architecture is a modern re-interpretation that responds to context from existing, transitioning up to the commercial and civic uses at Main Street. The architecture of buildings fronting each street respond to this while the internal grouping allows for a complete realization (of both sides) of each new alley/street. A new pocket park is shared.
1. Contextual Architecture - a modern insertion in a blighted historic neighborhood
2. Innovative site plan, re-establishes neighborhood center, reconnects streets
3. Urbanizes and densifies redevelopment to pedestrian oriented mixed-uses
4. Replaces suburban auto uses blight and re-establishes pedestrian scaled street walls