This block is particularly unique based on its different typology. It is located in an area that’s vastly commercial. Recently this block has incorporated a high rise hotel and a commercial building giving this block different building height. 
This center for Jewish History does something that no other lots do around them. Even in a dense area as the Flatiron with tall towers, they were still able to create a private space in the back. Doing so, allows for private expeditions or galleries. This is just another example of how a letter shaped building could be suitable for a waterfront design and just like any other building in New York, the building’s facade is pushed to its property line.
During my research on residential blocks I noticed that half of the lot size becomes the yard and about 9-10ft becomes the front yard which around 40% ends ups being the building area.
During my study of a Williamsburg block I noticed the huge variation of building typologies. Then with a little research I realized recently they rezoned the water front of Williamsburg to a mix-use community. Williamsburg has it own zoning towards the waterfront. If you offer 25% of the building block you gain an extra 1.o FAR. This was an interesting study for our water front site.
West Broadway: Street sections of 3 areas at the start end and middle each with different Street To building Ratios. This brief look of West Broadway shows the drastically different faces a street can have.
This street section represents two conditions of Prospect Park West. The first condition is where the residential building is only 3 stories tall with a front yard setback. The second condition shows residential building with 7 stories and a small setback from the property line. The smaller scale buildings allows more light and makes the street look much wider, while the 7 story building creates a urban like feel on that side of the road.
Along the length of Prospect Park West, there is a typical two-lane one-way roadway and a two-way bike path. The bike path is located between the parked cars and the side walk (rather than on the roadside), there is also a 4 foot door swing gap (marked by white paint stripes) to protect the bikers. This layout is something not seen in a majority of bike lanes and it helps promote safety by used the parked cars as a wall against moving traffic.
Another thing done along Prospect Park West is a 30 foot sidewalk. This sidewalk is split into three 10 foot sections. The first section has a layout of trees, planting areas, and cobble stone pathways. The section in the middle is a paved typical sidewalk. Lastly, the third section has a layout of trees, planting areas, and cobble stone areas with chairs. This allows plenty of trees on the street, which easily transitions into the Prospect Park. It also causes a clear definition on space, a space for entering, walking, and sitting.
The last thing that came out of this section is that there is no commercial storefront along the entirety of this street. All of the storefront are located two avenues away or at its southern end. This shows that commercial areas should be located in the center of a area rather than at its parameter (being that the park acts like a separator).
This gallery contains 3 photos.
This is Staten Island Whitehall Ferry Terminal. It is located South from the Battery Park in Manhattan, NY, and it is adjacent to it. FDR drive leads straight to it from the East. Bus stop and subway station exchange about … Continue reading
Here is the list of typology studies we explored in studio today. Please reply to this post and add your study for everyone to access. Please also add a lessons learned reflection to your post.
Streets: Cindy, Nita, Harold, Javier
Building Types: Office: Mayumi Hotel: Rafael Residential: Heriberto Cultural: Jia Transportation: Vlad
Blocks: Anthony, Marco, Willia
I have uploaded the lecture to the lecture folder on Openlab.
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Please see the following review of the book THE SOCIAL LIFE OF SMALL URBAN SPACES by William H. Whyte.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/08/22/the-social-life-of-small-urban-spaces-whyte/
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