1931 Lafayette – North Tower

Organization Name: Gilbane Development Company, Strada Ventures, Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS)

Project Title: 1931 Lafayette - North Tower

Project Location: Bronx, NY

Project Description:
The first building in a planned two-phased development, 1931 Lafayette – North Tower will offer 228 units of supportive and affordable housing in the Bronx. The 22-story building by Gilbane Development Company with Strada Ventures and Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) has offices and program space for social services along with a variety of indoor and outdoor amenity areas, including a children’s playroom, laundry room, conference room, fitness room, community room, and two landscaped terraces with integrated wooden seating and planters filled with native species. Designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP), the all-electric building will be Passive House certified and feature a prefabricated exterior wall system, triple-pane uPVC windows, unitized packaged terminal heat pumps (PTHPs), and green roofs. The development is clad in a panelized façade system that intersperses shades of gray and white to lighten the building’s appearance, and setbacks mitigate the impact of its height. Two floors of glazing wrap the program space, engaging the streetscape at the corner of Lafayette and Turnbull, and a glassy entry creates a welcoming connection to the sidewalk.

Community Impact:
In the midst of an affordability crisis, 1931 Lafayette – North Tower meets a range of housing and social support needs while addressing the challenges posed by a changing climate. Resiliency is a key design component, made more critical by the site’s location in an area disproportionately at risk for heat-related health impacts. A backup generator has the capacity to power the community room as an area of refuge during emergencies. The robust thermal enclosure will help maintain interior temperatures through power failures or extreme heat events, and will also mitigate noise to create a quiet, calming environment. Heat island effect is reduced by light cladding on the façade, a light-colored roof and plantings that cool the air through evapotranspiration.

The building’s design is meant to enrich the physical health and mental wellbeing of residents. Shared resources are concentrated to promote social connection: the fitness center and community room enjoy direct views to a planted terrace, while the laundry room opens to a playroom for stress-free, family-friendly chores. Multiple outdoor spaces provide ample opportunities for gathering with neighbors and quiet relaxation.

Organization Description:
Gilbane Dev. Co. utilizes their experience in finance, project management, alternative transaction structures, marketing, and project delivery structures to develop award-winning projects and communities. Strada Ventures LLC is a woman owned real estate consulting and development company that specializes in affordable housing. CUCS develops affordable housing and provides integrated programs that link housing, health and social services for New York’s homeless and most vulnerable people. They serve 50,000 individuals in New York and nationally.

Team Members:

Gilbane Development Co.
Strada Ventures LLC
Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS)
Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP)
Ventrop Engineering
GACE Consulting Eng
Steven Winter Assoc
AKRF