carla bonilla huaroc turns luxury NYC condos into housing for people leaving prison

with this speculative project, carla bonilla huaroc shines a light on the enormous gap between affordable and luxury housing in the US. the concept – which won the adaptability award in arch out loud‘s HOME competition 2020 – takes us to new york city in the year 2035. set against the backdrop of a major recession, the project transforms apartments in stuyvesant town into transitional housing for people leaving prison. 

exterior view

images and drawings courtesy of carla bonilla huaroc

the los angeles based designer explains, ‘the year is 2035, as the ratio of luxury to affordable housing causes a major recession, former luxury condos end up being transformed for other housing purposes. as the crisis of homelessness becomes even more dire, and as the consequences of mass incarceration occurring earlier in the millennium become more visible, transitioning housing for returning citizens becomes more and more necessary.’

exterior view

the scheme sees the transformation of level 10 to 15 of stuyvesant town 409 and 14th st. the luxury apartments, which originally served as postwar housing after world war II, are carved into and modified into units for co-habitation. 

elevation detail

‘transformed to house people leaving prison, these become a way of rehabilitating people. it contains apartments, as well as dorm-like units, that aim to help people take one of the first steps during such a critical time, to find safe shelter. containing also classrooms, offices and conference spaces, these spaces also house institutions and non-profits aiming to help them take the steps to self-sufficiency,’  continues carla bonilla huaroc.

interior view of a modified unit

site plan of existing housing and modified entrance to transitional housing

floor plans

axonometric view of modified units

modified units

project info:

project name: STUYVESANTTOWN

location: stuyvesant town-peter cooper village, new york city, NY, USA

design: carla bonilla huaroc

competition: HOME 2020

competition organizer: arch out loud

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom