Think! awarded in NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Round 4

Think! is proud to announce that the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza project in Harlem, New York has been awarded in Round 4 of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Buildings of Excellence, winning the distinguished project award and a $1 million development grant. The program rewards the design, construction and operation of clean, resilient and carbon neutral-ready multifamily buildings.

Designed for the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque Development Team and Procida Companies, the project includes 109 units of affordable housing across two buildings, a central landscaped garden for the residents, and provides an indoor home for the landmark, currently open air, seasonal Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market; an iconic destination in Harlem.

The new market place will function as a local business incubator and showcases West African crafts, traditional clothing, goods and food. The market hall which spans West 116th Street to West 115th Street will act as a pedestrian arcade at street level between two city blocks, and will create a bustling ‘spine’ that activates and provides connectivity in the neighborhood. The two new 9 story buildings above the market will offer homes that conform to the City’s Extremely Low and Low‐Income Affordability (ELLA) criteria. 

Think! is collaborating with the MEP and sustainability team at Ettinger Engineering on mechanical innovations including newly efficient airtight packaged terminal heat pump technology utilizing low global warming refrigerants. Healthy comfortable spaces provide co-benefits for the residents through fresh filtered air, corridors and common areas filled with daylight, quiet spaces, and outdoor recreation.  The building’s electrical requirements will be supplemented by rooftop photo voltaic arrays.

The project will also implement Passive House design principles which increase energy efficiency up to 90% for heating energy and 75% in overall energy in comparison to traditional buildings. The choice of building materials will reduce embodied carbon by approximately 10% through the use of recycled brick façades. The energy and sustainability performance of the building will meet Energy Star, Enterprise Green Communities, Indoor airPLUS & Fitwel certifications.

The main West 116 Street entry is articulated by a grand 16 foot high glass art wall that will act as a beacon to identify the market. It will be commissioned to a culturally relevant artist or collaborative. The aim is to create an iconic piece that will continue to celebrate and elevate the landmark market and become a meaningful legacy in the community.

With today’s climate urgency, The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza project strives to address the most urgent imperatives by providing social justice, equity, resilience, and healthy environments. It will provide a home to the neediest and a year-round bustling urban gathering place for an iconic and important cultural asset, the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market.

Think! Moves Forward With ShareNYC Project

Think!’s proposal with Ascendant Neighborhood Development and Ali Forney Center has been selected by NYCHPD as a part of its shared housing initiative, ShareNYC. Our project combines social services and four duplex shared units as well as one simplex shared unit affordable to low-income households.

Jack Esterson's Brooklyn Brownstone Featured in Brownstoner

An inside look of architect, Jack Esterson’s, brownstone.

When not hard at work at Think!, partner Jack Esterson is an ardent collector of mid-century Danish furniture and art by local Brooklyn artists. Recently, he gave a tour to Brownstoner of his Clinton Hill brownstone, where these two passions come into conversation. Click the image above to read the article and learn more about the design choices that went into creating this beautiful home.

Modular Construction Meets Design That's Just Right

We have been fortunate to have had the recent opportunity to work on a number of modular residential projects.  These have ranged from small condominium buildings on infill sites in Manhattan to a recent proposal for a 160 unit affordable housing project on an open site in East New York, Brooklyn.  We’ve come away from these projects impressed with the possibilities this type of construction offers in terms of quality and speed of construction and we have also learned a number of lessons that will help us improve the process of designing modular projects going forward.  It appears that modular construction is on the cusp of much wider acceptance with a larger group of dependable manufacturers serving the New York City market.

Please take a look at a recent article from the New York Post about Think! and modular construction.  Just click on the image below.

Think! Wins Brownsville RFP

Think! is excited to announce its Glenmore Manor Apartments as the chosen competition winner as part of New York City’s HPD Brownsville Plan. Along with the African American Planning Commission, Inc., Brisa Builders, and Lemle & Wolf; Think! designed a compelling building including 230 affordable homes for low income households, ground floor commercial space, and supportive spaces for young business developers and entrepreneurs.

Joseph Auld joins Think! as Director of Client Development

Joseph Auld has joined Think! as our director of Client Development. In that role Joe will work with the firm principals to develop new client opportunities and to actively maintain ongoing client relationships. Joe trained as an architect and has spent the majority of his professional career working as a project manager for private and institutional clients. He brings his wide background in development, construction and management to his role at the firm.

New Staff

We welcome the following new staff to the Think! team.

Guy Erlich

Jenny Park

Tani Sevy

Enzo Cordova

Sebastian Zysman

Waterfront Development Wins SARA Design Award

We are proud to announce that we won the Society of American Registered Architects National Design Award for our waterfront complex plan in Newburgh, New York, in the urban planning category. This multi-building residential complex, with its landscape components and new ferry terminal, is meant to help economically revive this old Hudson river city.

REACT Center Opens

On June 16 the Roosevelt Educational Alcoholism & Counseling Treatment (REACT) Center, designed by Think!, opened its doors to the community. Director Carol Jobson praised the new Center's design, filled with natural light, color and natural materials, as being a reflection of renewal and hope for their clients in outpatient treatment. The project included a total interior and exterior renovation of a dark and dilapidated warehouse.

Think! wins Mott Haven RFP

After months of deliberation, the NYC Housing Authority has selected the team of Think!, Lemle & Wolff, Alembic Community Development and The Bridge for their Betances VI site in Mott Haven, the Bronx. This 15 story, 101 unit building will consist of affordable family units, housing for formerly homeless veterans, support space for The Bridge and a significant retail component on Willis Avenue.

Oosten Wins Brooklyn Builds Award

We have been honored by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, who gave our 215 unit condominium in Williamsburg, Brooklyn their 2017 Brooklyn Builds Design Award, residential category. This full-block, 500,000 square foot, high-end residence comprises multiple unit types wrapped around a large central courtyard. The street facades are each designed to integrate into the low-rise neighborhood, while mitigating the enormity of this building's scale.

267 Rogers Ave is Completed

Our 165 unit rental building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn has recently been completed and is occupied. Designed to be a simple but elegant and cost-effective solution, our client, Heights Advisors, self-built the project.

Long Island City Hotel Tops Out

Our new 133 key, extended stay hotel for Marriott has recently topped out at ten stories. The hotel is located in an industrial area in Long Island City that is quickly transforming into a hospitality district. Our overall design approach on this project, as an unexpectedly contemporary design, has expanded the Marriott brand to appeal to a sophisticated demographic. Completion is expected in December 2018.

Pratt Film & Video Wins AIA Design Award

We are pleased to report that our design for Pratt Institutes's new Department of Film & Video has won a design award from the New York State chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Think! principal Jack Esterson, class of '75, attended the awards ceremony in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Don Flagg Joins think!

This Fall, Don Flagg has joined the Think! team as our Studio Director. Don has devoted much of his thirty years of design practice to major public works that have had a profound impact on the lives of New Yorkers, including the revitalization of Grand Central Terminal. With his expertise in master planning, preservation, interior planning and construction, Don is committed to creating architecture that creatively responds to the user's needs, intelligently engages its urban context and achieves design quality of the highest caliber.

Queens Passive House Project Tops Out

Our affordable senior residence, designed for the not-for-profit Hanac Inc., has topped out in Corona, Queens. This 68 unit project has been designed as a Passive House building, and includes intergenerational and active design principles, as well as a high degree of sustainability, to create a new model for this building type.

Odyssey House's George Rosenthal Center for Recovery Opens

On May 11, Odyssey House Executive Director Peter Provet presided over the opening ceremony of their newest and largest residential treatment center on Wards Island, NY, designed by Think!. Converted from an abandoned hospital, the new facility houses 240 men, women and teens in substance abuse recovery in what Dr. Provet describes as a national model for what therapeutic recovery centers can be.