DDC proposal for Hunts Point homeless shelter
places third in National Design Competition
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In an effort to address the
homeless crisis plaguing NYC,
students and city officials recently
designed a shelter to go
at the home of the former Spofford
Juvenile Detention Center.
On June 9, the Department
of Design and Construction
(DDC) and NYC School Construction
Authority (SCA) announced
that the joint DDC/
SCA ACE Mentor Team 8’s proposal
for a homeless shelter in
Hunts Point has placed third
in a national design and construction
competition. There
are 25 high school students
from 16 public schools throughout
the city on this year’s DDC/
SCA ACE Mentor Team 8.
The proposal, titled “Case
Verde,” would build an ecologically
friendly men’s homeless
shelter with training and
educational programs and
employment readiness initiatives
for up to 135 residents
who would be eligible to stay
at the facility for six to eight
months.
“We are extremely proud of
DDC/SCA ACE Team 8 and the
national recognition they’ve
received for their work in this
prestigious design competition,”
said DDC Commissioner
Jamie Torres-Springer. “Students
interested in STEAM career
fields are encouraged to
participate in a team in their
area to learn lessons about
the built environment, foster
connections and receive mentorship
that’ll last for years to
come.”
The shelter would feature
spaces for security, resident
intake/processing, counseling
units, staff offices, recreational
activities, a kitchen,
a dining hall, multipurpose
community room, residential
pods, green market, training
center, parking lot and loading
dock. Additionally, the transformed
site would meet the
requirements for LEED Gold
certification and would be the
first LEED certified homeless
shelter in the city.
The students estimated
the cost of repurposing the
144,000-square-foot area would
be $102 million, with anticipated
funding from the city
and private investments. In
comparison to the city industry
average of $800 to $1,200
per square foot, the shelter
would cost approximately $700
per square foot. It would take
approximately 18 months to
transform the former center
into “Casa Verde.”
“Thank you for the endless
support that you have not only
given me but all of my fellow
teammates! I cannot express
how much I will miss coming
back to participate in ACE
Mentor Team 8,” said DDC/
SCA ACE Mentor Team 8 Participant
Pamela Bernal. “I’m
excited to attend City College
in the fall! I hope to see all of
you again.”
A rendering of the proposed shelter. Photos courtesy of DDC
/KGforNYC.com