Brooklyn, NY
2022
Union Street Homes is the first mass-timber condominium in the New York region. The six-story, fourteen-unit building comprises glue-laminated timber columns, beams and floorplates. Mass timber — building with large components fashioned from fast-growing standard lumber — is a sustainable alternative to steel or concrete: it sequesters carbon, and softwood trees are quickly replenished.
The sustainable attitude carries throughout the building. Passive-house-level performance is achieved with generous insulation, air sealing, triple-glazed windows, and energy-recovering ventilation. There is no combustion anywhere in the building. Heating is by high-efficiency heat pumps, and cooking is via induction. Parking spaces in back feature electric charging stations. Solar panels generate electricity on the roof.
Rooms are generously sized, with ceiling heights of nearly 11′. The exterior is clad with Danish brick from Petersen-Tegl. Kitchen cabinetry and vanities are from Reform. Most lighting is cutting-edge LED tape fixtures from Kelvix. MESH designed custom hexagonal floor tiles for the building.
