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Photo by Rachel Van Anglen

GOLASKI FLATS

Multi Family Residential  /  35 Residential Units  /  Philadelphia, PA

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Urban Context

“Mosaic’s Golaski Labs was made possible by the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. A provision of this law establishes “Opportunity Zones,” which incentivize private investment in communities and neighborhoods of cities deemed undercapitalized by the United States government. These incentives come in the form of tax benefits, offering the investor different levels of tax breaks.”

       

[Jacob Downs, Hidden City, December 18, 2019]

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Program Development

Trying to make a significant impact to the neighborhood and at the same time have the project “pencil out” it was necessary to balance the following: creating common spaces, preserving existing space, and maximizing the number of residential units.

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Modular Build

To maximize the number of housing units and keep within the project’s tight budget, the residential build was constructed using an all wood structural system.  This was achieved by using IIIB Construction which allows 5 stories with a combination of 2 hour non-combustible fire treated wood exterior walls and combustible interior materials. 

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While the modular units were being built and stored at the factory 2 hours away the site work including the pouring of the modular foundation were in progress along with the selective demolition and renovations to the existing building.   
 

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Photo by Rachel Van Anglen

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Adaptive Renovation

The large factory warehouses (like Golaski Flats) found throughout Philadelphia not only have structural systems that last for hundreds of years but also with their high live load capacity and large structural spans allow for almost any use to occur within them in the future.  It was decided to keep and renovate the two heavy timber buildings (pictured above) and the concrete structure.  The existing Victorian single family house superstructure was razed however a future restaurant is designed to be built using its existing foundations.

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Ground Floor

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  1. Commercial

  2. Residential

  3. Restaurant

  4. Fitness

  5. Bike Storage

  6. Exterior Walkway

  7. Mail Room

  8. Recycle

  9. Corridor

  10. Lobby

  11. Lower Lobby

  12. Parking

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1.

1.

1.

2.

3.

6.

12.

12.

9.

9.

Basement

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  1. Commercial

  2. Residential

  3. Restaurant

  4. Fitness

  5. Bike Storage

  6. Exterior Walkway

  7. Mail Room

  8. Recycle

  9. Corridor

  10. Lobby

  11. Lower Lobby

  12. Parking

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6.

11.

9.

1.

1.

1.

3.

5.

4.

1.

2.

7.

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Photo by Rachel Van Anglen

Sustainability Strategies

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  1. HVAC Equipment & Controls

  2. Roof Insulation

  3. Window Placement

  4. Water Efficient Plumbing

  5. LED Lighting

  1. ​

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Interstitial Space

The narrow courtyard that connects the modular build with the adaptive renovation provided an opportunity to introduce greenery and social space. This interstitial zone unifies both new and old, public and private, commercial and residential. 

Photo by Rachel Van Anglen

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