144 Vanderbilt is the third installment in a series of Brooklyn Condominium projects with architect SO-IL. It continues the goal of creating dense, social, and communally oriented multi-family housing, imbued with the intrinsic qualities of private homes: abundant light, fresh air, outdoor space, and privacy.
These goals are facilitated through a similar series of moves - exterior circulation, unit-scale articulation, communal roofs, generous outdoor space - while adapting the architecture to a unique site, complicated zoning, and a historic neighborhood.
Split across two zoning designations, and stitching together two urban typologies - mixed-use commercial corridors and Brooklyn brownstones - the massing is organized in three zones. Along Myrtle Avenue, a tower rises eight stories above a retail podium to boldly define the corner. Along Vanderbilt Avenue, three townhouse units rise four stories to meet the neighbor’s height and scale, each with direct street entries. Stitching together these scales in the middle of the block is a six story section composed of split-level and duplex units. From the single level flats in the tower, to four story townhouses along Vanderbilt, the project has 26 units with 21 unique layouts: a project as diverse and complex as the community in which it’s built.
Referencing the warm earthen tones of the neighboring historic district, the building is clad in two tones of a pink prefabricated facade: an acid washed and sandblasted concrete panel.
Vertical fluting adds additional texture and articulation to the expressive facade, while hunter green windows and metal work provide a playful complement, additionally referencing the vibrant color schemes of homes in the neighborhood.
Multiple cuts in the facade bring the neighborhood into the building. Two courtyards - one front facing and one rear facing - organize the communal space while bringing light and air deep into the project.
Sunken Courtyard
Rear Courtyard
More than the first two projects in this collaboration, and more than almost any other residential building of its size, 144 Vanderbilt invests significantly into the communal realm. For nearly every 4 feet of sellable space, the project creates 1 foot of communal space, offering a gracious third space between the public life of the street and the private life of the home.
Residents enter the project via a bridge that extends over a sunken courtyard along the street. A double height lobby / coworking space opens up to dramatic views to the rear garden.
Clustered around the sunken courtyard on Vanderbilt Ave is the kids room, a gym, and a large coworking space / residents lounge. The intimate courtyard brings light into the spaces while offering visual connection between the separate spaces.
The rear garden offers a meandering path from the lobby level to the lower amenity level, seamlessly connecting inside and out.
Tucked in the corner is yoga studio / creative shed.
Fitness Center
Perched high above the lower communal spaces is a sky garden on the 6th floor, accessed via a bridge.
Yoga Studio / Creative Shed
