Vernon East Housing

American University of Sharjah, College of Architecture, art and Design, Sharjah

Project idea

Vernon East is a high-density, transit-oriented development that programmatically includes affordable housing, education, and wellness centres. It is situated near the Santa Monica regional transit station and is one of the first new developments planned for the area. The project is adjacent to the Queensborough/Ed Koch Bridge. Overlooking the East River, with views to Roosevelt Island and Manhattan, the vacant site can be understood as a segment within a larger chain of mixed-use waterfront development in the Borough, including the Hunters Point and Annabel Basin projects underway to the south, and stretching south to Brooklyn and north to the Bronx. These new approaches to affordable housing stand in contrast to the NYCHA Queensbridge Housing development to the north. The project utilizes a timber and concrete construction to create varying levels of public and private zones that prioritize the waterfront.

Project description

Vernon East is one of the first new developments planned near the Santa Monica regional transit station. The major move of the project was to bring in the water through the landscape. This allows for maximum utility and views to the waterfront. This further activates the central zone of the project. The concrete construction is the first type of structure built on the site and it is initiated by the gymnasium block where the building is sunken into the landscape to give hierarchy to the waterfront. The concrete construction is further used for the development of the early learning centre where the facade is pushed up to the central water channel to block access and maximize security. The timber construction is used for the development of the residential units that start at level 2 of the project. The timber construction uses a frame system which includes beams, joists and timber columns. The facade is broken down into three levels: public, private and shading. The public levels maximize on their transparency whereas the residential levels have strategic facades along with horizontal louvre shading that mimics the skin. A clear bridge system is introduced to the project to connect the two blocks together as well as connect each residential module to the next. This bridge system allows for efficient circulation in the project. Green roofs are implemented throughout the project for public and private use. The auditorium allows for an outdoor playground on its roof. Community spaces are created through the green module system aiming for sustainability in the project.

Technical information

1) Generative Diagram
The generative diagram explains the different stages of development of the project beginning from laying concrete foundation that supports timber construction making it a hybrid construction technique to the optimal usage of roof area to generate solar energy.
2) Accessibility to site
The site is accessed through the south-western entrance marked by an existing 19th century factory structure that is integrated into the project as an entrance facility to the learning center.
3) Site Plan
The site plan represents the adjacencies of the site that inform the organization of program within the site. The site is flanked by the Ed Koch bridge and an industrial set up to the south. Along the short edges, the site meets the East River and the Vernon Boulevard to the West.
4) Sustainable Factors
The roof surfaces include vegetation areas that act as landscape and serve as public gathering spaces for residents. Higher roof surfaces have been utilized as area for solar panel installation to attain self-sufficiency in terms of energy.
5) Structural Diagram
The structure is a hybrid construction realized by concrete base with timber construction marked by six vertical circulation cores.
6) Floor Plan Drawings
The ground plan represents the relation of the public programs with the major site features such as central water channel and plaza. It highlights the vertical cores that lead to the residential levels. The second and third floor plans show the six units of residence that are interconnected through cross-bridges.
7) Transverse Section Drawing (with Material Catalog)
This drawing showcases the level changes within the site apart from highlighting the variety of outdoor spaces provided for the residential units.
8) Circulation Diagram of Residential Module
This diagram explains vertical circulation from the ground level as well as internal circulation within a set of residential units that create a residential module.
9) Enlarged Floor Plans of Residential Module
The enlarged floor plans show the different units accommodated within each module including studio, 1 BHK, 2BHK AND 3BHK units that have outdoor spaces that open to the central area of the site.
10) Wall Detail Sectional Drawings
The detailed sections highlight the wooden slat roller skin system used as shading device and interior CLT walls. They also represent the vegetative roof layers and pile foundation details.
11) Images of Sectional physical model with Wall Detail
The physical model was an exploration into building a portion of the project that showcases the variety of spatial conditions.
12) Visualizations through Renders of Exterior and Interior Spaces
The visualizations capture the public spaces and their relation to the ground level apart from showing the relation of residential units to outdoor spaces

Co-authors

Saagarika Dias, Samrakshana Suresh