Nonprofit

Queens Community House (QCH) is a multi-site, multi-service non-profit that serves many diverse Queens neighborhoods. Their core programs are housed at the Forest Hills Community Center located at the center of the Kew Gardens neighborhood in a building that is outdated and in need of redefinition. Initializing a redesign of the 19,000sf ( + 7,000sf access/garden) center, MAD developed the building which will receive an improved layout complemented by new infrastructure, an ADA elevator and complete upgrades to its exterior envelope and surrounding areas. https://www.mad-nyc.com/projects/queens-community-house New exterior elements and revised building openings will now allow the organization’s mission to be more deliberately vi... More

As part of our on-call contract with the NYC Department of Design and Construction’s Design Excellence Program, Spacesmith completed the new Staten Island Family Justice Center, a program of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. This 10,000 sf center, with wide-ranging, multilingual services offered in one location to victims of domestic violence, is the last of five to be completed in each borough. The goal was to create a welcoming, calming environment for those seeking help and a comfortable, efficient workplace for employees. Interior Photo credit: Paúl Rivera. Exterior Photo credit: Joe Kitchen Capturing natural light in a deep space with only one elevation of windows was an essential design goal and... More

As part of an ongoing relationship with human services provider SCO Family of Services Spacesmith was retained to renovate a four-story building into a community center offering foster care services, medical and mental health support, and residential and youth justice programs. The goal was to transform an outdated and overcrowded facility into a new and efficient workplace with robust client program spaces in a welcoming and safe environment. As many of SCO’s clients are under duress, this human-centric design takes into consideration the principals of trauma-informed design: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support, collaboration, and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender issue... More

​The Bazaar was an innovative concept for a destination local food market, featuring an array of local micro-restaurants, as well as craft merchandise and fresh produce. Expanding on the idea of a “bazaar” as an architectural typology with a long history and tradition, the concept inherited the idea of repetitive domes as an organizational structure, within which vendors would have individual kiosks. The morphology of the domes modulated throughout the site, resulting in subtly varying sky lighting and elevations. The long arching elevation faces south to a parking lot, making it visible to the street and also creating a relationship allowing for indoor-outdoor uses such as a periodic farmers market. Caption Caption... More

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is housed in several historic brick industrial buildings along the Norwalk River and adjacent to the vibrant South Norwalk downtown historic district. BBB was engaged to design several new additions and renovation projects in response to the replacement of an aging railroad bridge that previously bisected the Aquarium campus. Building additions will utilize previously unoccupied portions of the Aquarium site, located away from the bridge construction area, and will improve and modernize the Aquarium’s facilities and exhibits. The contemporary design of the additions, emphasizing transparency and light, is an intentional contrast to the heavy brick walls of the existing buildings while also complementin... More

Winthrop House, comprised of two Neo-Georgian former freshman dormitory buildings from 1913, had undergone few upgrades since its construction. The renewal program re-envisioned Winthrop’s residential, academic, social, and co-curricular spaces and addresses technical challenges, including significant envelope upgrades, the installation of all-new mechanical systems, and detailed restoration work for the House’s signature public spaces. Amidst the sensitive context of Harvard’s River Houses, BBB also designed Robert M. Beren Hall, a distinctive 41-bed addition that includes shared amenities for undergraduates. Working with the House Renewal Project Management Office, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the Faculty Deans, and s... More

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The new building is a collaboration of private, public, and state organizations, and will house the Urban Civil Rights Museum Experience and the National Urban League Institute for Race, Equity and Justice in addition to the National Urban League’s headquarters. Caption The building will also feature retail, 90,000 SF of office space, and 171 affordable apartments to be constructed with support from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The rational and urbane articulation of the curtain wall and massing expresses the different uses on 125th Str... More

The Brook, a six-story building in the South Bronx, provides permanent supportive housing to low-income workers, the formerly homeless, and individuals with mental illness who are transitioning to permanent employment and homes. Formerly on an empty lot, the building repairs the urban fabric of the block by creating a continuous street wall along Brook Avenue and 148th Street. The Brook is designed and engineered for maximum environmental sensitivity using the most cost effective means available. In March 2013, the Brook received LEED Silver certification. The building, built with low-toxicity materials, features ventilation and lighting systems that maximize natural light and solar heat while water-saving fixtures and draft vestibules inc... More

La Casa Norte is a new mixed-use comprehensive community center in Humboldt Park on the city’s Near Northwest Side. Services include a homeless youth drop-in center, healthcare center, café and food pantry, and Pierce House, 25 units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. The design blends highly social spaces at the front of the building with more discrete areas that meet a need for confidentiality, including the residences surrounding a private courtyard. The project respects the existing neighborhood fabric, fitting snugly into the low-rise urban context. It provides an innovative and environmentally friendly home for the residents, employees, and community. In addition to the large open... More

Just outside the Portland city limits, Rockwood is among the most diverse and lowest income areas in the Portland metro area. Three non-profit organizations—Open School, Boys & Girls Club of Portland, and New Avenues for Youth—came together to create a two-building, 3.5-acre non-profit campus to support the neighborhood’s community of underserved youth. The campus delivers places for kids of all ages to learn, play, and socialize. The concurrent development of the two buildings enabled the organizations to create shared facilities that reduced initial capital investment. Open School East is an innovative college-prep school that prepares students who have struggled in traditional public school for success in college, career, and communi... More