Melrose North embraces the unique social, ecological, and physical contexts of the site and the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx. A modern brick façade with a tall windowed ground floor is broken into three masses with varied setbacks to contextually blend into the neighborhood, with one standout exception: a 120-foot tall mural wall as a symbol of the neighborhood’s diversity and vitality.
Melrose North provides a healthy living environment, with a 5,600 SF landscaped rear year, by utilizing Passive House and implementing Active Design principles. 60% of the building’s 170 affordable units will be for formerly homeless individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues, as well as individuals and families who have been victims of domestic violence
Designed to Passive House and LEED Gold standards Melrose North will meet community goals for vital ground floor use–improving security and increasing accessibility to the neighboring Melrose Station of Metro-North—and with a 5,100 SF arts education facility operated by the DreamYard Project. Here, Bronx youth will learn professional development, design, and marketing for digital gaming.
Status: Built
Location: Bronx, NY, US
Firm Role: Architecture
Additional Credits: Bronx Pro Group, Steven Winter Associates, DreamYard Project, Services for the UnderServed, and AKRF.
