By Nigel F. Maynard
Project Name: The Garnet / Location: Brooklyn, N,Y. / Architects/Designers: Shakespeare Gordon Studio / Location: Brooklyn / Photographers: Alexander Severin, Brett Beyer
Named for the jewel-toned glazed-brick accents that punctuate its gray and black masonry façade, The Garnet is a mixed-income housing project that is a self-assured piece of architecture in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Designed by Shakespeare Gordon Studio, the building provides 103 much-needed apartments to the neighborhood and illustrates how close collaboration between architects and New York City agencies and planners can transform vacant, underused, or problematic sites into gracious, dynamic, affordable housing projects that strengthen the urban fabric of their communities, the firm says.
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This as-of-right building offers mixed-income multi-family housing on a 15,000-square-foot lot directly adjacent to the Fulton Street subway line. The scope of work included a comprehensive planning study to determine the feasibility of this project, which was funded through the Mixed-Middle Income program of the New York City Housing Development Corporation, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and its Voluntary Inclusionary Housing Program. In addition to the apartments above, The Garnet’s ground floor provides 12,000 square feet of retail space that provides services to its residents and surrounding neighborhood.
“The robust eleven-story structure is clad in textured masonry and bright accents that form a pleasant and visually engaging street wall, whether viewed by those passing directly by the building, or from the open green space on the other side of Fulton Street,” the firm’s project statement. “The red motif first established on the facade continues inside The Garnet’s lobby, where it complements the clean, warm interior and wood finishes.”
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This same color logic is incorporated with bold pops of royal blue and teal in addition to playful wall patterns that give each unit’s entryway its own character. Inside the apartments, light blue tile features enliven central living spaces, while leaving room for tenants to personalize their spaces.
Dramatically improving the neighborhood, The Garnet replaces a series of vacant and underused lots that previously housed a two-unit apartment building and a single-story laundromat. Shakespeare Gordon says the building is designed to improve the experience of the block, celebrating the vibrancy of Fulton Street with large windows that provide views into the residential entrance and commercial storefronts.
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Because of a neighboring parking lot, the mid-block site integrates features that are usually reserved for corner parcels, such as increased light and air along lot-line windows. A second floor roof terrace, available for use by all tenants, strengthens this connection to the outdoors, as well as to neighboring apartment buildings and the street below.
“In addition to anchoring and activating the block, The Garnet’s design creates housing that feels expansive and liberating, rather than constrained by its affordability,” the architecture firm says.
