Over/Under
Over/Under is DRYY’s housing proposal for a vacant lot in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. The design seeks to maximize efficiency on a narrow lot by reducing redundant paths of circulation in the stair core. The typical stacked staircase has been stretched into a single straight path, effectively extending the iconic New York symbol of neighborhood life, the front stoop, through the entire length of the building. By utilizing leftover triangular voids above and below the stair, functional volume is reclaimed for the tenants.
The variation in floor plates encourages a diversity of unit types, and by extension, a diversity of residents. This creates an opportunity for aging-in-place, where residents can move to a different unit within the building as they move through the different stages of their life, strengthening the sense of community in the neighborhood by allowing residents to establish a long-term connection to place.
