NeighborHall:
Facilitating an Autonomous Legislative Body for Red Hook
Emmet Sutton
2023 Summer Residency
NeighborHall is a series of public legislative spaces, at a variety of scales, composed along a corridor within an affordable housing project. The formal strategies directly mirror the existing proportions and pattern of the NYCHA Red Hook Houses. This project is in response to the numerous times that NYC has disregarded the wants and needs of Red Hook's residents. Red Hook is in a unique position and straddles its City District and Community Board. Its efforts to protect itself (Ikea, Safeway, Hurricane Sandy) have been valiant but ultimately the needs of other more influential NYC neighborhoods have steamrolled Red Hook's autonomy. NeighborHall consists of a large scale assembly space for each of Red Hook's new block representatives to gather and discuss zoning, land use, environmental issues, education, corporate interference etc. There are two auxiliary legislative spaces for community meetings, public assembly and even performance. The building is raised above the floodplain with a series of ramps that allows these large assembly spaces to act as shelter in the event of another hurricane. The new apartments differ slightly to allow different numbers of occupants but all provide both views and access to the legislative spaces as well as outwards towards Red Hook's urban fabric.
People
