Jamaica 1
147-36 94th Ave - Queens, NYC
As the first project of its scale to be completed in Jamaica, the primary challenge of this design was to remain inoffensive despite being grossly out of scale with the single-family neighborhood it abuts. This task was further complicated by the client’s requirement that the building be constructed entirely from one material, utility sized brick, and have no more than 1” of depth to any façade articulation. The final design breaks the building into three distinct components: the tower, base, and street level, expressing each in progressively finer levels of detail corresponding to more and more intimate levels of interaction with the neighboorhood’s inhabitants.
The dichotomy between the building’s base and tower is driven by their scale and relationships. The base of the building is designed to be experienced by pedestrians, moving at slow speeds and taking in high levels of sensory information. The tower, by contrast, will be experienced from afar and at high speeds, by travelers using Long Island Rail Road or JFK Airport.
Tower
The pixelated facade of the tower is intended to act as a sort of urban camoflauge, distracting from the bulk of an incredibly large and entirely flat building. The fade was conceived of as a way to visually lighten the building, drawing your eye upward, away from the street.
Podium
The 4 story base of the building is articulated in a single dark color brick and a high level of detail. Framed windows and various brick details all lend the lower floors a pedestrian scale while remaining neutral enough to blend with the tower which springs from it.
Street
The 1st floor is mostly occupied by parking, making visual connections with the indoors impossible. To create interest on the sidewalk and introduce a tactile scale, the design utilizes a shallow built-in garden and a patterned brick mural which serves as a playful backdrop.
