Kids chase around, youth lean on railings while talking with friends, seniors sit in front of the buildings people watching–the lively street life around the neighborhood Melrose, Bronx fascinates the visitors. For them, the street is their living room, a place to relax or hang out with friends and also a chance for people to engage one another is the essence community-building.
Therefore by creating two types of street-space modules with four-floor-height apartments on either side, by being horizontally situated, modules are connected to circulate a loop for a continuous street flow. Community rooms like laundromat, communal kitchens, gyms, etc. are created along “the street” to increase the chances of movement and provide natural light. Through situating the buildings vertically, modules are stacked, and at the same time shifted to light “the street” from above. Within the vertical module, continuous stairs construct a vertical street for people to not only get into their home but also hang out with their neighbors. As for Structure, economically, the concrete column grid with concrete floor slabs is the best choice. By not revealing columns on exterior facades, the interior ones are hidden and coated with wood veneers to build a homey environment in “the street”. On the ground, daycare, education and senior centers are created to provide space for different age groups. Street markets and commercial stores that exist on the site are introduced within the block. Meanwhile, various typologies as townhouses are introduced. People can gather together on the ground street but also the street “in the air” as their second home.
