The new Covenant House New York, a crisis shelter for homeless youth in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, provides a temporary home and multiple services for young people. The 80,000 sf structure includes 60 residential units and numerous amenities.
Designed by FXCollaborative, the structure offers a safe and respectful place to live, access to legal, physical, and mental health services, along with educational and spiritual support. The 12-story building is humanely scaled to contrast with the glass towers surrounding the site. Opaqueness and transparency are balanced, with more visual connections to the city within common spaces and more sheltered spaces in private areas. The building shell is composed of strong materials—brick, metal, and glass—while inside, elements of wood and fabric create warmth and comfort.
Services and administration are housed in the lower five floors, with residential rooms on the upper six floors. About 54,400 sf is above grade and 26,100 sf below grade. The main lobby welcomes people into the building, providing a singular identity and a central security point. A welcome center, a wellness center, and the CovCafé are located on the first floor. The café opens to a landscaped courtyard.
At the top of a gracious stair, Pride Hall, bathed in natural light extends out to a large, landscaped terrace with a variety of seating types and groupings. An art room and hope room are provided for youth expression and contemplation.
A gymnasium and small workout room occupies the lowest level of the building, along with a music room that includes a digital music production area. The building also includes dedicated classrooms, a computer room, and space for staff to support the employment and educational portions of the Covenant House’s mission. The fourth floor include spaces for behavioral health services.
Ten rooms on each residential floor offer a manageable neighborhood experience. With most rooms accommodating two people, the rooms can be configured for three or four if demand increases. A living room with a kitchenette is provided on each residential floor.
Throughout the building, individual bathroom and bathing facilities accommodate the gender identity of all who may come. This detail embodies the core values of Covenant House.
Owner: Covenant House International
Developer: Gotham Organization
Design architect: FXCollaborative
Architect of record: FXCollaborative
MEP engineer: Cosentini Associates
Structural engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: Monadnock Construction
Related Stories
Sponsored | MFPRO+ Blog | Oct 26, 2023
Unlock New Potential—Can Multifamily Pop-Up Hotel Concepts Transform Lease-Ups?
Dive into the new trend of multifamily pop-up hotels! Learn how they're changing the game in lease-ups, creating vibrant communities, and offering property managers a lucrative new revenue stream. Join the conversation on the future of multifamily living spaces.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 115 Multifamily Construction Firms for 2023
Clark Group, Suffolk Construction, Summit Contracting Group, Whiting-Turner Contracting, and McShane Companies top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 75 Multifamily Engineering Firms for 2023
Kimley-Horn, WSP, Tetra Tech, Olsson, and Langan head the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 190 Multifamily Architecture Firms for 2023
Humphreys and Partners, Gensler, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Niles Bolton Associates, and AO top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Senior Living Design | Oct 19, 2023
Senior living construction poised for steady recovery
Senior housing demand, as measured by the change in occupied units, continued to outpace new supply in the third quarter, according to NIC MAP Vision. It was the ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a net absorption gain. On the supply side, construction starts continued to be limited compared with pre-pandemic levels.
MFPRO+ News | Oct 6, 2023
Announcing MultifamilyPro+
BD+C has served the multifamily design and construction sector for more than 60 years, and now we're introducing a central hub within BDCnetwork.com for all things multifamily.
Sponsored | Multifamily Housing | Sep 29, 2023
Win-Win Scenarios for Residents and Property Managers
Discover how proptech is opening open new paths to revenue for owners and property managers, while bringing desirable amenities and conveniences for renters. Check out my thoughts on profitable, resident-centric proptech.
Products and Materials | Sep 29, 2023
Top building products for September 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from smart light switches to glass wall systems.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 26, 2023
Midwest metros see greatest rent increase in September 2023
While the median monthly price of rent has increased by 0.71% in August, the year-over-year estimates show a national change of -0.06 percent.
Affordable Housing | Sep 25, 2023
3 affordable housing projects that serve as social catalysts
Trish Donnally, Associate Principal, Perkins Eastman, shares insights from three transformative affordable housing projects.