Project Description
New York City lacks housing and resources for the growing number of senior citizens below the poverty line. I propose a new public housing typology designed to connect this population with their communities. This typology hybridizes two programs: the branch library and the assisted living residence. The combination stems from a strategic overlap of two programs that require many of the same types of spaces. These shared spaces are merged together into a communal interior void that climbs up through the building. Each terrace hosts a common program where both populations can interact, such as an instructional space, dining hall, and reading lounge. Walls enclosing the void are cut and punctured to create a connection between the activity within the void, and the more intimate spaces that surround it.