Housing and Tree / New York
NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Affordable Housing
2019 / 3,900 sq. ft.
When you are in your apartment, you are not in the garden.
When you are in the garden, you are not in your apartment. But what if you
could be in a garden while in your apartment? Housing and Tree explores
this paradoxical experience with a proposal for affordable housing built around
a green space. The small but verdant space — part greenhouse, part atrium and
part garden — acts as the building’s lungs, bringing natural ventilation and
daylight deep into the building’s interior.
Collaboration: TransSolar (Climate Engineering)
The vertical greenhouse’s energy saving micro-climate is
maintained year-round, being warmed in the winter by an operable greenhouse
roof and cooled in the summer by a large shade tree. From their balconies,
residents can watch this fruit-bearing tree change with the seasons; creating
an atmosphere of both home and garden. In the winter, a polycarbonate roof
provides heat via the greenhouse effect. In the spring and fall, this operable
roof is fully retracted, allowing each unit to be naturally cross-ventilated.
Housing and
Tree supports the multi-generational community of East Harlem by
providing a mix of affordable housing unit types, from studio apartments to
two-bedroom duplexes, as well as collective spaces that appeal to multiple age
groups. The rear garden, for instance, provide residents of all ages with
individual gardening plots in a healthy, shared environment. These verdant
common areas recall the hidden community gardens found throughout East Harlem.
Project Team: Phu Hoang, Rachely Rotem, Jiri Vala, Zhenwei Zhong, Craig Sinclair
Project Team: Phu Hoang, Rachely Rotem, Jiri Vala, Zhenwei Zhong, Craig Sinclair