IMPACCT Senior Residences

For IMPACCT Brooklyn, a non-profit housing developer committed to helping residents build and sustain flourishing communities in Central Brooklyn, we designed a 63-unit, HPD-funded senior affordable housing building. Located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, this long-awaited new four-story building provides rent-subsidized housing for low-income seniors earning less than 50% of the area median income, with at least 30% of units set aside for seniors at risk of homelessness.

In addition to the units, which are tailored for senior living and are a combination of studio and one-bedroom apartments, the project includes a multi-purpose community room, laundry room, office on the lower level, and twenty exterior parking spaces for church usage. The development also includes a 503 sq ft recreation room on the roof that opens out into a shared, landscaped roof garden. Seating areas, a patio, and paths enhance the experience for those accessing the garden by incorporating active design elements.

One of our many goals was to showcase a sense of quality. Not eye-catching “of the moment” gestures, but to create an unusually supportive, comfortable and compassionate environment meant to bring this senior population together as they “age in place” in their community.

Construction budgets are a constant issue when designing low-income housing in New York City. The financial resources are low, demands are high. We selected the simplest solutions to elements such as building structure and a repetitive but elegant fenestration pattern in order to devote greater resources that more directly affect the residents’ quality of life.

We took care to counterpoint the building’s compositional horizontal emphasis with a strong glazed vertical gesture at the main entry, which brings natural light to every elevator lobby, suggesting a kind of connectivity between exterior/ entry/ lobby/ elevators, up to the community room and out to the rooftop garden, enhanced by natural materials and warm colors.

In addition, we solved a typical affordable project challenge. With the funder’s focus on maximum unit count, we moved many of the resident amenities to the cellar. Our design incorporates a generous opening and stair in the lobby which gives access to various spaces while creating a sun-filled cellar lobby.