As part of a longstanding involvement in all sectors of New York City housing, RKTB took on the task of developing an affordable infill prototype in collaboration with Community Preservation Resources Inc. The challenge was to find a means for utilizing the numerous vacant sites in New York for use as affordable housing. The result is the development of two identical buildings, each 37.5 feet wide which together fill a 75 foot wide site. Each building contains 8 apartments or 4 duplexes and 4 simplexes in 6 stories.
Because of the size of the building only one stair is required. This stair, a key design element, was conceived as a vertical extension of the street. Since it is on the front of the building a strong visual connection is created between it and the street. This aspect also helps to alleviate the tedium of climbing the stair and promotes strong sense of security since it can constantly be viewed from the street.
The building was completed in 2004 for $100 per sq. ft. It sold out in literally one day at more than four times that cost. RKTB is continuing to develop this prototype to accommodate a variety of lot sizes.