REVEALED: TRA Studio’s Eco-Conscious East Harlem Condo, ONE 112

On a rather typical East Harlem block, along 112th Street between First and Second avenues, Soho-based architecture firm, TRA Studio has drawn up plans for a 22-unit condominium that will mend a once derelict site back into Manhattan’s taut urban fabric. Commissioned by Gotham LP, the seven-story building will rise from a 60-foot wide, 5,000 square-foot parcel that is a third smaller than a new American home’s median lot size. With the city’s built-in efficiency already in place, TRA sought to go further and will implement low-energy strategies such as super-insulated glass windows and long rows of sun-shading terraces along the rear will reduce the building’s environmental footprint.

Virtual Reality tour created by TRA Studio

Tentatively called One 112 for its address near First Avenue at 336 East 112th Street, the future seven-story project will rise from an area previously ravaged by disinvestment and arson. These underutilized sites have proven as fertile ground for community gardens, playgrounds (like the one behind this project site), and more recently as new infill development sites with two new ground-up buildings nearby: an under construction rental at 318 East 112th Street, and the Senneca Terrace condominium at 324 East 112th Street.

One 112’s north elevation is bifurcated by a vertical column of grey brick that visually acts as the building’s hinge and separates each floor’s two street-facing units. According to Caterina Roiatti, Principal at TRA Studio, the vertical seam allows residents to easily identify their unit from the the outside. Each of the two asymmetrical faces pivot from the axis to create an ever-so-subtle folded facade. Floor slab areas are emphasized in an alternating and overlapping pattern that accentuates the pivoting effect and is evocative of the robust lintels and cornices of neighboring apartment houses. Six strips of slate-toned panels gravitate towards the center of the elevation where the more private bedrooms are located. Part of the seventh floor sets backs from the the floors below, offering the penthouse unit a terrace.

Aerial View of Project Site

Lobby Area

South-facing rear facade; All renderings courtesy of TRA Studio

The rear, south-facing elevation features pairs of evenly spaced floor-to-ceiling windows and unit-wide terraces that will serve as sunshading to the units below. According to Catarina, the project started as a modular passive house with rental micro-units, but economic restraints and a boutique project-size made achieving certification difficult. Catarina emphasizes modular construction would have come within a similar price point, but the tight site proved inefficient and would have resulted in a reduction of circulation space.

Now envisioned as more spacious condominiums, the building will offer tenants storage, a bike room, a fitness center on the ground floor, and a recreation area in the rear yard. South-facing duplex units will be enriched with natural light and views over the neighborhood. Groundwork for at the site has just begun and development is expected to finish sometime in late 2017/early 2018. According to CityRealty, there are currently 75 condominiums on the market in East Harlem, priced at a median of $775,000 or $1,014 per square foot.

Project Site

To be among the first to view listings for One 112, visit CityRealty.

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