Pandemic Resilient Housing

Vision & Strategic Planning
Research
PANDEMIC-RESILIENT-HOUSING_GIF_V2

New Law Tenements comprise more than 60% of New York City’s housing stock. These buildings, defined by windows facing narrow alley light shafts, deliver inadequate air circulation. Residents in densely overcrowded communities, disproportionately affected by Covid-19, and remained vulnerable. With Transsolar Climate Engineers and Asian Americans for Equality, we developed a retrofit research initiative using 28 Henry Street as a case study. The documentation proposes interventions at three scales – unit, building, and whole-building – from in-wall ERV units with integrated heating, cooling, filtering, and air monitoring to stairwell retrofits that convert existing vertical circulation into active ventilation shafts. Each proposal was evaluated against cost, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and long-term integration with citywide net-zero goals. The booklet functions as a kit-of-parts for affordable housing providers seeking pandemic resilience without displacement.