METAMORPHOSES : ADAPTABLE HOUSING with

Robin Piatt Stegman

Public housing should prioritize equity and dignity for all of the residents who reside there. With this scheme, we intend to offer agency to residents by providing them spaces that they can make their own--through transformation and cultivation within the greenhouses as well as the adaptability of the units to create ideal living spaces at each interval of life. This building is meant to be a home and a gateway for the community to connect the Farragut Houses to the urban fabric of Brooklyn.

When considering the complimentary program, we knew that adding density to the site would inevitably reduce available green space. We wanted to address this by incorporating green space into the building’s design. However, since this is New York, where winter is long and cold and dark, we wanted to make sure that this green space was accessible all year round. The greenhouses that crawl up the side of the building have a folding mechanism within the panels, allowing them to accordion up. The green spaces are open air during the warmer months, but enclosed, and heated gardens during the winter. With a multitude of possible uses for the greenhouses, residents would have agency in how they engaged with and made use of the greenhouses--an agency that is present in the physical form.

Agency and transformation extends to the units themselves. We want this building to be a place that families can comfortably call home for many years, but the needs of a family shift over time. Therefore, just as the greenhouse panels fold and move, so do the partitions within the apartments. All of the apartments in the building consist of a two bedroom unit adjoined with a one bedroom, with separate entryways from the corridor. Within the units, the central partition can be folded away, creating a larger three bedroom unit, with room to reconfigure the individual spaces.

Finally, in the context of Farragut, we wanted the building to be inviting rather than imposing. At 25 stories, it appears fairly tall next to the other residences on the site. Therefore, with the slatted and glass facade design, we intend to let the building blend and disappear into its surroundings. In addition, despite its height, we wanted to make it appear almost floating, employing a large, cantilever structure. The structure itself is based around long diagonal columns that cut through the building, anchored on two “legs.” Throughout the building, these diagonals add interesting and varied moments as they pass through the units.

Adding a new building to a site as complex as Farragut is a delicate challenge. With this building, we hope to supplement the existing facilities, create new ways for new and existing residents to engage with green spaces, and re imagine how the apartment can be designed to place the needs and agency of the occupant at its forefront.