450 Warren St Housing
Brooklyn, NY – 55,000 SF – 2021 – Complete
Project Lead while at SO-IL.
Situated among diverse scales of housing in Gowanus, the project seeks to propose a new way of urban living: with ample connections to the outdoors, the energy and vibrancy of the street, and yet with a strong sense of community among residents, encouraging meaningful daily interactions.
Woven between three lush courtyards, three towers of residences offer multiple balconies, and exposures on at least three sides of every unit. The building proposes new ways to live outdoors in the city: offering a new porousness between indoor and outdoor living spaces, and fostering a sense of privacy while encouraging shared experiences. The project dissolves what might have been a dark corridor to reach your apartment into a web of light-filled outdoor bridges that connect three towers of residences.
Situated between the expansive green of tower-in-the-park housing on one side and the intimate scale of townhouses on the other, the project stands apart from both. Rather than seeking to fit in, the design takes inspiration from the use of green space to create privacy among residents and a natural connection to the outdoors.
Three scales of outdoor space foster connections to the city and other residents, offering new ways of living outdoors. Each unit features an outdoor room for living and dining, a pocket balcony creating privacy for the primary bedroom, and a front porch facing inward, promoting community.
Press
“In Brooklyn, Housing that Defies the Status Quo”, Untapped Journal, February 2024
“450 Warren in Brooklyn Offers a Radical Approach to Housing”, Architectural Record, October 2022
“Brooklyn’s 450 Warren Rethinks Common Outdoor Space”, Bloomberg, October 2022
“Today’s Must-Have Amenity: A Little Green Space”, New York Times, October 2021
Project Credits
Design Architect: SO-IL
Executive Architect: Kane AUD
Structure: Silman
MEP: ABS Engineering
Landscape: Gowanus Canal Conservancy / Brooklyn Grange
Lighting: Lighting Workshop
Construction Manager: KSK
Photos: Naho Kubota