Thoughtful Architecture
News and insight from the architects and designers at Think!
June 2025
Elegant Affordable Housing at St Philip Neri
St Philip Neri Apartments is a pair of affordable and supportive housing buildings located across from each other on Willis Avenue in the Bronx. Read more
Construction starts at Strongbox Theater
Work has started on site at the award-winning Strongbox Theater.
Betances Family Apartments are open
Betances Family Apartments in the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood has opened, offering 101 deeply affordable homes. Read more …
Bridge Rockaway receives multiple awards
The first of its kind development is receiving recognition for what it is achieving in Brownsville.
Elegant Affordable and Supportive Housing at St Philip Neri
St Philip Neri Apartments consists of a pair of 100% affordable housing buildings located at 3054 and 3069 Villa Avenue in the Bronx. The buildings, designed for the Association of Catholic Charities, are situated diagonally across from one another on land adjacent to the St Philip Neri Church. 3054 Villa is 75,000 sq ft with 101 residential units over 14 stories and 3069 is 59,400 sq ft with 85 residential units over 12 stories, a total of 186 units. 93 of the units are for supportive housing tenants served by the Catholic Charities Community Services Beacon of Hope Program.
Located on a former parking lot of the neighboring St Philip Neri church, the design considers the two buildings as a family with a strong connection to one another pragmatically, socially and architecturally. The scheme breaks down the scale with two basic massings; a lower folded wall up to 9 stories, clad in a light brick. Set back behind these folds is a recessed plan, clad in a darker brick. This height is necessary to achieve the full allowed zoning bulk and residential unit count. The lower zone slightly inflects at both buildings, and together creates an “embrace” that connects them visually. Think!’s design for the buildings was recently recognized at the SARA Awards.
In addition to the gesture of embrace, the design connects the buildings to each other and to the community in several ways. The wood-clad entry pavilions of each building are diagonally arranged across the street, inviting people into the residences through these transparent and welcoming elements. The wood cladding continues into the main lobby and up to the second floor amenities. The exterior tones and textures are borrowed from the 19th century St. Philip Neri church. By stepping down the building massing, it pays deference to the church and maintains the existing street view of the historic steeple. Both buildings are set back from their property lines, allowing for generous landscaped planters along the entire street frontage.
At 3054 Villa Avenue the building was elevated and a two-tiered rear garden created that is accessed from either the lobby or the second floor amenities area. This multilevel approach creates an incentive for people to travel an appealing loop through the building’s connected indoor and outdoor spaces. This loop is devised to foster interaction and engagement among the residents, while creating a sense of community.
SARA AWARD WIN
Bridge Rockaway receives multiple awards
Following on from NYSAFAH’s recognition of Bridge Rockaway as Downstate Project of the Year at the end of 2024, the project is gaining attention in both the affordable housing and architectural spheres for its first-of-its-kind composition of uses and its impact on the local community.
In April the project and the team behind it were honored at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council annual lunch receiving the Impact for Community Investment Award.
In May the American Institute of Architects recognized the project in its Excelsior Awards, which highlights the best in publicly funded buildings, outdoor areas, and public art across New York State, and the architects and design professionals who support and advocate for them.
Bridge Rockaway, is an innovative development, which uniquely co-locates 174 affordable and supportive housing units with 39,000 sq ft of light manufacturing workshops, creating a new model for urban mixed-use projects.
Betances Family Apartments open in the Bronx
Betances Family Apartments is a 15 story, 98,000 square foot building with 101 deeply affordable residential units for low income families, with 30 set aside for formerly homeless individuals, developed by Alembic Community Development, Lemle & Wolff and The Bridge.
The clients’ mission was to maximize unit count within the allowable zoning bulk, with a high quality envelope that would add to the neighborhood without overwhelming its low-rise urban scale. Encouraging the diverse mix of residents to interact, the client also wanted to provide appealing indoor and outdoor amenity spaces. The aim was to provide low-income families, seniors and formerly homeless individuals with a warm and welcoming environment that communicates compassion and support, while creating a building that will be perceived as a positive addition to this under-served Bronx community.
In addition to the apartments, which range from studios to three bedrooms, the building features amenities including a children’s playroom, bike storage, 24/7 building security and a second floor community room that opens onto a landscaped rooftop terrace. The Bridge provides on-site supportive services, including case management, benefits counseling, and links to community mental health, dental, and substance use services. On the ground floor, 10,000 square feet is set aside for commercial use to enhance Willis Avenue, a busy commercial corridor.
The exterior design is based on a simple light colored grid, infilled with windows and panels of muted colors. To mitigate the significant scale of a 15-story tower, a darker recessed band spirals around the tower’s mid-section to break down the building mass and to directly relate to the neighboring 5 and 6 story tenements. We biased the building massing as far away from the adjacent NYCHA housing as much as possible to maintain maximum light and view for its residents.
As tall as this building is, it is immediately apparent that it does not overwhelm the community and fits well into its scale, and will increasingly do so as New York continues to densify vertically. The building also positively impacts this neighborhood, which is not known for a high degree of quality affordable housing and architectural design.
Modular Passive House townhouse on St Felix Street complete
Work recently completed at 147 St Felix Street, a modular 3-story residential building located in Fort Greene’s landmark district. The project consists of a spacious owner’s duplex on the top two floors and a rental unit at ground level. Think!’s client requested a modern residence in both its architectural expression and interior design. On the other hand, the NYC Landmark’s Preservation Commission, which had jurisdiction over the project, required, as is their mandate, a design sympathetic to its historic context. Think!’s design evolved from the apparent contradiction in attempting to satisfy both requirements.
About Assembly OSM and how design developed with them.
The project is pursuing Passive House (PHIUS ZERO) certification and the WELL for Residential program. Passive and all-electric design features, such as triple pane windows and induction cooktops and a high performance envelope, cut operational carbon while supporting occupant health through superior thermal comfort, improved acoustics, and reduced pollutants.
Something about the merits of modular for passive house building
Brick is used as the primary exterior material to reflect the row of neighboring townhouses, but in a distinct size, proportion and bonding pattern.
The project was stacked on site in one day and represents a scalable approach to Passive House design.
