In an unprecedented model of public funding subsidies, BRC (Bowery Residents’ Committee) is blending permanent affordable housing and shelter for the homeless. The inaugural project under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s HomeStretch program, Reaching New Heights Residence and Apartments is a 200-bed homeless shelter combined with 135 units of low-income supportive housing. The two lower levels of the building will be occupied by the shelter, and the upper seven floors are for the permanent supportive housing. The two programs have separate entrances and architecturally distinct yet referential formal expressions.

Located at the termination of Landing Road at the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx, the site slopes dramatically with sweeping views of upper Manhattan and the Harlem River. The supportive housing portion features bay window projections that enhance the small efficiency units as well as create a vibrant façade. The shelter portion includes ten dormitories with ensuite bathrooms and expansive windows to provide daylight.

The project participated in Enterprise Green Communities and is NYSERDA certified; it includes a significant solar panel array that will supplement energy usage for the supportive housing section of the building. It was completed in 2018.

Client: Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC)

Agency: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Department of Homeless Services

Housing Consultant: A. Larovere Consulting

Structural: Silman

Mechanical: Loring Consulting Engineers

Civil: Leonard J. Strandberg and Associates

Landscape: Abel Bainnson Butz

Lighting: Goldstick Lighting Design

Energy Consultant: Bright Power

General Contractor: The J. Pilla Group, Ltd.

Awards:
Big Apple Brownfield Award | Supportive/Affordable Housing, 2019
Urban Land Institute New York | Excellence in Affordable Housing, 2019
AIANY | Andrew J. Thomas Pioneer in Housing Award, 2018
SARA National Design Award of Merit | Affordable and Supportive Housing, 2016