An underexamined tenet for which modernist sensibilities become instilled through the built environment is a staunch approach towards the dampening of sound. This is compounded by NYC-housing code, where traditional building methods extend beyond solely protective measures. The primary objects to enforce these regiments (doors, curtains, windows, ceilings/floors, and insulation) are not immediately understood as an “attack against sound.” However, in their continual dampening, they act as agents towards a normative housing experience which underscores the dichotomy of the private and public space.

The housing project then engages with architecture as an agent towards a more nuanced sonic environment with the potential to better harmonize its inhabitants. This is particularly salient to Harlem, where sound (and music) is used as a form of political and artistic expression. The housing block is designed primarily through an engagement with material, not form.

Insulation and pipes are exposed. Hemp is insulating you. The pink panther is watching. There are 60 units; there are seven floors.