ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
Combined into a campus , these three buildings transform the nearly two-acre site into a vibrant and unique home for hundreds of seniors .
In 2010 , when the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing ( WSFSSH ) took ownership of the Borinquen Court site , they saw an opportunity to expand upon the strength of the existing building ’ s community to bring more residents and resources to the large and underused site . The architects began their study of the lot ’ s potential , while working on their renovations to the aging building , recognizing early in the process that any new construction would require approval by City Planning to relieve the site of decades old restrictions that mandated a “ tower in the park ” use of the site . Close collaboration with the city ’ s planners in the years that followed allowed the project to be a case study for zoning updates already in the making that would support more affordable housing throughout the five boroughs , with a focus on housing for independent seniors – a growing and thriving population of New York City .
Such changes to the zoning would allow for parking lots to be transformed into housing , and for senior housing buildings to have a greater mass and height than previously allowed , as well as more street wall articulation . This is especially celebrated at the Tres Puentes site , which is located between two entrances to the nearest subway station . Taller buildings for seniors are also encouraged with the new zoning , which Tres Puentes uses to bring many new apartments to the site , while also respecting the varied scale of the neighboring buildings . This is most dynamically expressed where the west building steps down in height from the busy corner of Third Avenue and East 138th Street towards the three-story houses to its north .
This project adds 174 affordable apartments for independent seniors to the 145 already on site .
PAGE 37 - ARCHETECH