flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Studio Libeskind designs 190 affordable housing apartments for seniors

Affordable Housing

Studio Libeskind designs 190 affordable housing apartments for seniors

The 11-story Atrium at Sumner project in Brooklyn, N.Y., includes a ground-level community facility and a year-round interior community garden.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | June 12, 2024
Photos copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photos copyright Hufton & Crow Photography

In Brooklyn, N.Y., the recently opened Atrium at Sumner offers 132,418 sf of affordable housing for seniors.

The $132 million project includes 190 apartments—132 of them available to senior households earning below or at 50% of the area median income and 57 units available to formerly homeless seniors. Situated on underutilized land at New York City Housing Authority’s Sumner Houses, the 11-story structure includes a ground-level, 8,309-sf community facility and a year-round, 2,760-sf interior community garden. 

Studio Libeskind’s design features bold diagonal lines that wrap the building and create a folding form—which the firm describes as “a dynamic yet rational geometric form interrupted by a pattern of open and solid elements.”

“Growing up in social housing in the Bronx gave me a unique perspective on the importance of community and high-quality, affordable housing,” Daniel Libeskind, principal design architect, Studio Libeskind, said in a statement. “I hope this project serves as a powerful example of how good design can positively impact society, especially for those in need.”

The studio and one-bedroom units all have large windows and a variety of open layouts. Amenities include a 24-hour attended lobby, free broadband in common areas and apartments, onsite building manager, an apartment designated for a live-in superintendent, laundry on the second and ninth floors, a multipurpose community room, a library/computer room, bicycle storage room, exercise room, handrails in common areas, and emergency pull cords and built-in air conditioners in each apartment.

The Atrium at Sumner incorporates passive house design principles and uses 60% to 70% less energy than the average NYC apartment building. The sustainable design features high-performance envelope materials and systems and energy-efficient HVAC and ERV systems. The appliances and HVAC systems are all-electric.

Design began in 2017, construction in 2021. Residents started moving into the building in April 2024.

On the Building Team:
Owner: Sumner Senior Partners, LLC 
Design architect and architect of record: Studio Libeskind (USA) 
Civil engineer: AKRF, Inc. 
Structural engineer: LERA Consulting Structural Engineers 
MEP/FP engineer: Fiskaa Engineering 
Building enclosure consultant: Steven Winter Associates, Inc. 
High-performance buildings consultant: Bright Power
Construction manager and general contractor: Lettire Construction Corp. 

Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography
Photo copyright Hufton & Crow Photography

Related Stories

MFPRO+ News | Sep 24, 2024

Major Massachusetts housing law aims to build or save 65,000 multifamily and single-family homes

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey recently signed far-reaching legislation to boost housing production and address the high cost of housing in the Bay State. The Affordable Homes Act aims to build or save 65,000 homes through $5.1 billion in spending and 49 policy initiatives.

Adaptive Reuse | Sep 12, 2024

White paper on office-to-residential conversions released by IAPMO

IAPMO has published a new white paper titled “Adaptive Reuse: Converting Offices to Multi-Residential Family,” a comprehensive analysis of addressing housing shortages through the conversion of office spaces into residential units.

Legislation | Sep 9, 2024

Efforts to encourage more housing projects on California coast stall

A movement to encourage more housing projects along the California coast has stalled out in the California legislature. Earlier this year, lawmakers, with the backing of some housing activists, introduced a series of bills aimed at making it easier to build apartments and accessory dwelling units along California’s highly regulated coast. 

Resiliency | Sep 3, 2024

Phius introduces retrofit standard for more resilient buildings

Phius recently released, REVIVE 2024, a retrofit standard for more resilient buildings. The standard focuses on resilience against grid outages by ensuring structures remain habitable for at least a week during extreme weather events.

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 29, 2024

More than 1.2 billion sf of office space have strong potential for residential conversion

More than 1.2 billion sf of U.S. office space—14.8% of the nation’s total—have strong potential for conversion to residential use, according to real estate software and services firm Yardi. Yardi’s new Conversion Feasibility Index scores office buildings on their suitability for multifamily conversion.

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 28, 2024

Cities in Washington State will offer tax breaks for office-to-residential conversions

A law passed earlier this year by the Washington State Legislature allows developers to defer sales and use taxes if they convert existing structures, including office buildings, into affordable housing.

Affordable Housing | Aug 27, 2024

Not gaining community support is key barrier to more affordable housing projects

In a recent survey, builders and planners cited difficulty in generating community support as a key challenge to getting more affordable housing projects built. The survey by coUrbanize found that 94% of respondents tried to gain community input and support through public meetings, but many were frustrated by low attendance. Few respondents thought the process was productive.

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 22, 2024

6 key fire and life safety considerations for office-to-residential conversions

Office-to-residential conversions may be fraught with fire and life safety challenges, from egress requirements to fire protection system gaps. Here are six important considerations to consider.

MFPRO+ New Projects | Aug 20, 2024

Seattle workforce housing project inspired by geology of eastern Washington

J.G. Whittier Apartments, a workforce housing project in Seattle uses the geology of eastern Washington as inspiration for the design. The architecture and interior design celebrate geometric anomalies found in nature. At the corners of the building, blackened wood siding “erodes” to expose vibrant murals underneath.

MFPRO+ News | Aug 14, 2024

Report outlines how Atlanta can collaborate with private sector to spur more housing construction

A report by an Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services panel, commissioned by the city’s housing authority, Atlanta Housing (AH), offered ways the city could collaborate with developers to spur more housing construction.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Legislation

Efforts to encourage more housing projects on California coast stall

A movement to encourage more housing projects along the California coast has stalled out in the California legislature. Earlier this year, lawmakers, with the backing of some housing activists, introduced a series of bills aimed at making it easier to build apartments and accessory dwelling units along California’s highly regulated coast. 


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021