Affordable Housing Challenge
New York City

Intro: Exterior Views/ Section/ Energy diagrams

a. The long-term view of Affordability places sustainability and reduced energy consumption ahead of initial Construction Cost. In view of the history of public housing, here and abroad, cases of relative high and low public investment, we question low initial construction cost and maximizing land use as primary criteria.

b. Being Green is not only the sustainability of materials, method of assembly and energy consumption but also, simply integrating living, leafy greens in an architectural manner.

c. We propose a lower density of smaller units as the most viable Community building block of affordable housing. The footprint allows for more small units to have light and air.

d. We recognize increasing Parks and Greenspace is economically and politically difficult. Opening of the lot footprint and making the green-wall inherent to the Pilot typology advocates for a restoration of balance in the environment by forcefully integrating natural flora with the built Urban fabric.

e. A modular exterior skin is used for three basic types: I. An Adaptive Solar F acade; II. Vertical green wall; III. Solid and open brick masonry

f. A Double Skin Façade System provides passive conditioning, healthy ventilation and greatly reduces energy consumption

g. Solar panels adjust dynamically to the sun, but also are user adjustable to provide views to the outside, daylight distribution and degrees of ventilation at high and low floor levels.

h. Already proven in small buildings in Manhattan, geothermal wells are proposed as standard issue to temper energy consumption.