Pope Francis Apartments at Loreto

Organization Name: RKTB Architects

Project Title: Pope Francis Apartments at Loreto

Project Location: Brooklyn, NY

Project Description:
The 83,000-square-foot Pope Francis Apartments includes 135 affordable units plus supportive services, community space and on-site laundry, on a sacred site where a locally iconic church stood for decades. Collaborating closely with the client group, RKTB Architects introduced several design and development innovations. Consulting on zoning strategies to achieve financial feasibility, the project team focused on senior housing – utilizing a zoning rule modification (AIRS) combined with reapportioned rights from an adjacent property increased by more than threefold the allowable floor area for the lot. The architects also helped secure an exemption from parking requirements in the zoning regulations by retaining the former church site’s existing parking spaces. Designed to meet the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria framework, Pope Francis Apartments includes rooftop solar energy installations, a thermally high-performing building envelope, water- and energy-efficient fixtures, and low- and zero-VOC materials and finishes. Spacious layouts and high-quality materials and finishes give the units a “market-rate feel,” promoting a sense of pride among residents and the larger community.

Community Impact:
Though Brownsville residents rallied behind various efforts to save the Or Lady of Loreto church when its doors closed in 2009, they ultimately lost an important part of their local heritage. Collaborating closely with the community and with client group Catholic Charities of Brooklyn & Queens, RKTB endeavored to help redevelop the site in ways that would fill the void and help heal the community. For example, the ground floor features two community rooms, one for residents and another for use by the greater Brownsville community. The design features aesthetic choices intended to enhance neighborhood pride. To tie the project back to its literal roots, mural-size photos of the church grace both the elegant lobby and the side of the building, and the grand “Our Lady” statue that previously stood at the church entrance has been preserved and reinstalled on site. Articulated in segments that reference the Baretta Apartments next door, the façade projects a reassuring consistency and harmonizes with the familiar architectural context. Importantly, the affordable units don’t feel low-cost. The uplifting environments promote pride among residents, who then carry that feeling out to the larger community.

Organization Description:
RKTB Architects, P.C. is an award-winning planning, architecture and design firm with studios producing a diverse portfolio of solutions for housing, educational, cultural, civic and healthcare clients. Services range from strategy and planning to new construction and renovations and adaptive reuse, contributing to award-winning multifamily housing and K-12 school designs. With over 55 years of experience shaping the fabric of communities for public and private clients, RKTB is powerfully committed to twin goals of design excellence and social equity.

Team Members:

Architecture, Interiors: RKTB Architects
Owner: Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens
General Contractor: Monadnock Construction
MEP: Morozov Engineering
Structural: GACE Consulting Engineers