New York New Publics: Museum of Modern Art Exhibition
In 2022 Peterson Rich Office was featured in the "Architecture Now" Exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition highlighted PRO's ongoing collaboration with the New York Housing Authority in their efforts to renovate 30% of their portfolio.
The exhibition underscores how architecture can play a vital role in fostering participation and a sense of belonging. In a context where our social lives are shaped by real estate and economic forces, Peterson Rich Office’s ethos diverges from previous recommendations to demolish entire campuses and neighborhoods. Instead, PRO provide guidelines to maintain and improve the existing urban fabric and the communities that compose it.
One in every 16 New Yorkers live in public housing units owned and managed by the New York Housing Authority. Many of its complexes are in need of routine maintenance and costly repairs, often after decades of neglect. Over the past eight years of research, teaching, and professional practice, Peterson Rich Office has developed a series of projects that focus on the New York City Housing Authority as a public resource that should be valued by all New Yorkers. Our work has focused on this unrealized potential as an asset that could help preserve and improve NYCHA across its vast portfolio.
Like many NYCHA campuses, Cooper Park features several repeated buildings set back from the street edge. Situated on a super block with 550,000 square feet of available area for development or sale, the site posed challenges. Given the requirement for 60-foot window-to-window distances, few available sites emerged to unlock NYCHA’s latent unbuilt FAR (floor area ratio). Instead, our proposal focused on new construction as extensions of existing buildings, facing the street. This approach not only provides an urban edge to the campus but also enhances the existing green spaces.
The introduction of new lobbies directly accessible from the street activates common areas, seamlessly connecting interior programs to exterior spaces and natural light. Additionally, ground-floor units offer opportunities to right-size older residents into contemporary apartments that cater to the needs of NYCHA’s senior population. Vertical extensions leverage existing load-bearing footprints, creating additional interior community spaces on the rooftop. These extensions take advantage of the unique perspectives afforded by the tower-in-the-park housing typology.
In 2022 Peterson Rich Office was featured in the "Architecture Now" Exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition highlighted PRO's ongoing collaboration with the New York Housing Authority in their efforts to renovate 30% of their portfolio.
One in every 16 New Yorkers live in public housing units owned and managed by the New York Housing Authority. Many of its complexes are in need of routine maintenance and costly repairs, often after decades of neglect. Over the past eight years of research, teaching, and professional practice, Peterson Rich Office has developed a series of projects that focus on the New York City Housing Authority as a public resource that should be valued by all New Yorkers. Our work has focused on this unrealized potential as an asset that could help preserve and improve NYCHA across its vast portfolio.
Like many NYCHA campuses, Cooper Park features several repeated buildings set back from the street edge. Situated on a super block with 550,000 square feet of available area for development or sale, the site posed challenges. Given the requirement for 60-foot window-to-window distances, few available sites emerged to unlock NYCHA’s latent unbuilt FAR (floor area ratio). Instead, our proposal focused on new construction as extensions of existing buildings, facing the street. This approach not only provides an urban edge to the campus but also enhances the existing green spaces.
The introduction of new lobbies directly accessible from the street activates common areas, seamlessly connecting interior programs to exterior spaces and natural light. Additionally, ground-floor units offer opportunities to right-size older residents into contemporary apartments that cater to the needs of NYCHA’s senior population. Vertical extensions leverage existing load-bearing footprints, creating additional interior community spaces on the rooftop. These extensions take advantage of the unique perspectives afforded by the tower-in-the-park housing typology.
The exhibition united a wide variety of design proposals from diverse designers and thinkers, all advocating innovative approaches that view the city as an ecosystem and envision a more equitable future for New York City.
The exhibition united a wide variety of design proposals from diverse designers and thinkers, all advocating innovative approaches that view the city as an ecosystem and envision a more equitable future for New York City.
Drawing inspiration from the Cooper Park Houses as a case study, our proposal examines the integration of communal living spaces for NYCHA residents, with a particular focus on outdoor areas—a priority for those emerging from the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.
Drawing inspiration from the Cooper Park Houses as a case study, our proposal examines the integration of communal living spaces for NYCHA residents, with a particular focus on outdoor areas—a priority for those emerging from the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.
Miriam Peterson
Nathan Rich
Alek Tomich
Amber Farrow
Martin Carrillo Bueno
Yaiza Pons
Enough with the ‘feel good’ architecture. It’s time to get real about the complexities and compromises inherent to city building.
Over the past year PRO worked with The Regional Plan Association on a report of scalable solutions and design strategies to modernize NYCHA buildings and campuses and improve living conditions for residents as part RPA's The JM Kaplan Fund Chairs for Urban Design fellowship.
