BFA teamed with a real estate development group to respond to a NYC Economic Development Corporation Request for Proposals for the development of a city-owned lot at The Hub, the commercial heart of the South Bronx. Though our project did not go forward, the effort was an exciting exercise in urban design for BFA. 

The unusual site has only 37 feet of frontage on Bergen Avenue but shares an 80-foot lot line with Triangle Plaza at the corner of East 149^th Street. The principal facade of the building faces onto the park, making it a highly visible landmark. The new development offers occupants exceptional light and views while enhancing the underused park. The tall, transparent ground floor is dedicated to community facility use while floors two through eight provide column-free commercial office space, for an as-of-right total of about 26,000 gsf.

Sustainability is a prime motive behind the design. The broad south elevation features horizontal strip windows integrated with continuous sunshades composed of photovoltaic panels that will generate almost all the electricity consumed within. This along with hyper-efficient heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, and a green roof make the project LEED certifiable.