Magnusson Architecture + Planning recently completed work on MLK Plaza, a 13-story, 167-unit affordable residential building in the Bronx. The development includes 25 studios, 57 one-bedroom units, 60 two-bedroom units, and 24 three-bedroom units. 100% of the apartments will be affordable to very low-income renters.
MLK Plaza residents will have access to recreation and community rooms, a rear patio, and a gym on the seventh floor with an adjacent outdoor terrace. The gym and terrace are part of active design interventions to encourage physical health. Their location on the seventh floor is midway between the top and bottom floors to encourage residents to use the stairs. The stairwells also incorporate active design principles such as double height landings and windows for natural light and views.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
See Also: Sweden’s tallest timber building is open for business
The exterior features dark gray brick as a nod to the neighborhood’s industrial past. Metal panels with a gold hue were also used on the exterior to provide a bright counterpoint to the brick. A fully-glazed double-height corner lobby is framed by diagonal columns. The lobby provides natural daylight to the ground floor during the day and creates street-level illumination at night. One of the lobby’s walls includes a mural of MLK.
The development was designed to achieve LEED Platinum.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Photo credit: Miguel de Guzman / ImagenSubliminal.
Related Stories
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: NEXT Living EcoSuite showcased
Tridel teams up with Cisco and Control4 to unveil the future of green condo living in Canada.
| Sep 29, 2011
Kohler supports 2011 Solar Decathlon competition teams
Modular Architecture > In a quest to create the ultimate ‘green’ house, 20 collegiate teams compete in Washington D.C. Mall.
| Sep 23, 2011
$5M pledge renewed for Habitat for Humanity
The five-year commitment, which will run through 2015, includes $5 million of donated interior and exterior locks and keys for homes built with Habitat for Humanity homeowner partners and volunteers.
| Sep 23, 2011
Under 40 Leadership Summit
Building Design+Construction’s Under 40 Leadership Summit takes place October 26-28, 2011 Hotel at the Monteleone in New Orleans. Discounted hotel rate deadline: October 2, 2011.
| Sep 20, 2011
Jeanne Gang wins MacArthur Fellowship
Jeanne Gang, a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship winner described by the foundation as "an architect challenging the aesthetic and technical possibilities of the art form in a wide range of structures."
| Sep 12, 2011
Living Buildings: Are AEC Firms up to the Challenge?
Modular Architecture > You’ve done a LEED Gold or two, maybe even a LEED Platinum. But are you and your firm ready to take on the Living Building Challenge? Think twice before you say yes.
| Jul 22, 2011
Five award-winning modular innovations
The Modular Building Institute's 2011 Awards of Distinction highlight fresh ideas in manufactured construction projects.
