Imo, great site layout. Out of 220 Riverside, Brooklyn Riverside, the YMCA and Brooklyn Station, how it meets and integrates with the surrounding streets is head and shoulders above the others.
With the continuous line of retail/dining facing Riverside Ave, it creates a pedestrian friendly environment that bleeds across Jackson to include Corner Bakery Cafe in the Brooklyn Station block. As for the architecture, I'm not stressed about it either way. Although I have no idea on how they will age, this particular stretch isn't a historic environment anymore, so the cement panel siding adds another style to an architecturally diversifying district. Here's a few examples of similar styled/scaled buildings in Boston (Cambridge) and Minneapolis.
1075 Mass Avenue (mixed-use project near Harvard) - Cambridge, MA
Third North - Minneapolis, MN
Project Type: New Construction Multi-family
Challenge: To create a modern-feeling façade without contrasting too much with the surrounding neighborhood.
Solution: Fiber cement panels used in a blend of six colors offers a shape and pattern reminiscent of nearby historic brick buildings and warehouses.
Results: Third North Apartments complements the varying elevations and facades of the neighborhood while bringing a fresh look to the streetscape.
Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood, like many close-in urban environments, is a community in transition. Over the past decade, property owners and developers have gradually blended and adapted historic buildings and warehouses with new residential blocks and modern amenities. Respecting the existing aesthetics while addressing the wishes and needs of a younger generation were key goals for the developers of Third North, a 204-unit apartment complex completed in December 2013. The resulting six-story building manages to pay homage to existing structures without feeling dated.
A warehouse-like massing and the structure's position abutting the sidewalk on three sides reflect the frontage of nearby warehouses, many of which have been adapted into office space or condos. The building's U shape conceals residential features— including green space, a dog run, and pool—in the center and rear. Cladding selection also played a key role. The designers specified 18 inch by 6 foot fiber cement architectural wall panels in a blend of six colors—divided into swaths of reds and swaths of grays—that combine with a rectilinear shape to complement nearby brick. Simultaneously, the panels' large, smooth scale and nod to metal help the overall look tilt toward the contemporary.
“The panels have rectangular dimensions, and we have shades of red and gray,” says Maureen Michalski, senior project manager for Schafer Richardson, developer of ThirdNorth. “It mirrors the colors of the brick and concrete on nearby historic buildings, but is a fresh, modern take off of it. The use of stacked bond also helps in this regard.”
Moving forward with the material wasn't completely straightforward, however. Prior to the Third North project, the city of Minneapolis didn't allow fiber cement to cover more than 30% of a building's façade. The architects submitted for an exception, and aided by a hidden fastening system and the performance of an integrated rainscreen which allows water to drain away, the proposed fiber cement panels received an allowance. In the end, the city and the community were equally pleased with the finished product
http://continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/article_print.php?L=332&C=1210
