Project Details
- Project Name
- Frost Street Apartments
- Architect
- Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
- Project Types
- Multifamily
- Size
- 45,000 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2015
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
A great place to live in NYC that happens to be affordable Frost Street is a seven-story, 45,000 square foot low-income rental building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with 47 units. Built through the Inclusionary Housing Program, Frost Street provides both quality and protection of income diversity in this rapidly changing neighborhood. The building is permanently affordable, energy efficient and provides significant amenities to the residents. The form and façade articulations are designed to fit into a streetscape that has a variety of scales. Situated within a diverse and changing neighborhood context that includes two story row houses and large apartment buildings, a central consideration was finding a way to modulate the scale of the building to fit into this diversity. This was achieved by punctuating the facade with setbacks along the street wall, along with projected window frames that extend past the masonry to create a varied play of light and shadow. Courses of linear cast stone are distributed in the brickwork to break up the overall mass and distinguish the face of the building. The top of the building terminates with a minimalistic metal cornice. Public areas such as the lobby are simple and elegant, employing high quality wood paneling and stone tile around the elevator. Amenities include a community room and laundry room that open onto a landscaped rear yard with play space for children and a sitting area and bike storage. All planting is adapted or native species. The site is adjacent to an elevated arterial highway (BQE) and particular consideration went into finding ways of dampening the sound of the nearby traffic. A combination of a heavy masonry and concrete structure with high performance windows effectively block this noise. The units themselves are light and well ventilated with wood floors and open kitchens that maximize the space. All units, including a live-in superintendent unit, are handicapped adaptable with 5% pre-adapted for accessibility. Due to the high water table and location within the 500 year flood zone, the building has no basement and MEP systems are located the on the first floor raised above sidewalk level. The construction system is plank on bearing wall Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF’s). The thermal advantages of ICF construction, along with other measures, creates an energy efficient building which complies with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Multifamily Partner’s Program, requiring the building use at least 15% less energy than baseline. The building also meets New York States Department of Housing and Community Renewal’s green design criteria. Sustainable features include: • Bearing walls built with ICFs to create a continuous thermal envelope and air sealing • Energy star or equivalent LED light fixtures and appliances • Unitized ventilation – venting each apartment separately to minimize potential noise and cooking odor transfer between apartments • High performance windows • Low flow water fixtures • High efficiency boilers • Cogeneration combined heat and electrical power system • Located within a ¼ mile of a subway stop • Trickle vents in the windows for supply of fresh air