Completed in 2012

The design of the facade for the Via Verde housing project located in the South Bronx, was unique in that the exterior wall system incorporated features which, had they been constructed by traditional methods, would have significantly increased the time it took to complete the project from start to finish. As a new model for public housing, the architects’ aims were not only complete the project as quickly and economically as possible but to also employ smart-building strategies where the costs and time saved for the client could be reallocated towards other civic and community rebuilding initiatives.

The facade designed for the Via Verde project features aluminum, cement, and wood panels with panoramic windows, sunshades, and courtyard balconies. The concept, inspired by the integration of nature and the city, carries through not only the organizing plan of the architecture in its tiered series of green roofs and dynamic gardens, but also in its manufacture. 

The facade system features an outboard insulated rainscreen integrating 3 types of rainscreen cladding: extruded fiber cement, phenolic wood, and composite aluminum. In addition to the cladding types, the facade also integrates punched window assemblies with the balcony and sunshade features. In using a customized gasketed joinery the project also features a caulkless interface at all panel-to-panel joints.