Alafia

Alafia is a new wellness-oriented, resilient neighborhood designed to address chronic social, economic, and health disparities in a historically underserved area. The Master Plan was designed by Dattner Architects and SCAPE (both WBE firms!) and Dattner Architects led the first phase of the project, which is coming online this fall. Jen Switala, Project Manager, led the master plan phase, creating a robust offering of affordable housing, health and wellness programs, local employment, bike and walking paths, and active and passive recreation are incorporated to benefit both the 7,500 new residents of the development and the surrounding communities. Jen’s ability to build consensus was instrumental with a large, multiprong client group that included Public, Private, and Non-Profits. She led a large multidisciplinary consultant team as well. The design team for Phase 1, also led by Jen, included Deniz Secilmis, Kavya Cherala, Habiba Akhtar, and Sahar Baghaii. Both first phase residential buildings are designed to meet Passive House standards and utilize a closed loop geothermal heat pump system and wastewater technology for energy efficient heating and cooling. They are net-zero ready. Additionally, a Maintenance Hub is designed to house the DSNY recycling and trash containers for the whole development including future phases and eventually will host a composting element once the urban farm goes online in a future phase. All aspects of the campus, including new roadways, incorporate sustainable infrastructure to increase resilience, create native planting habitats and reduce stormwater overflow from the site. Phase 1 includes a total of 576 units of affordable and supportive, a clinic, courtyards, walking paths, retail spaces, and a Maintenance Hub. The project has received awards from AIANY, ASLA, and SARA.