329 Vanderbilt Avenue

329 Vanderbilt Avenue is an 1870s carriage house, on the border of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, rebuilt to passive house standards by Schiller Projects. Designed for longevity, sustainability, comfort and modern convenience, this is Brooklyn’s first mass timber single-family residence, and is an ideal respite for the modern New Yorker. Featuring a three-story Douglas Fir laminated stair and bridge, a landscaped roof terrace and interior atrium, a garage with a curb cut, and sublime views of one of the city’s only Gothic Revival-style cathedrals, the house is a marriage of historic charm and the highest level of new construction craftsmanship.

The entry level is loft like with its open layout and towering ceilings. Eastern light pours in through the sliding glass doors, which are framed by beautiful, custom cut-wood from New Hampshire; fabricated only a few blocks away at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, they’re simultaneously sturdy yet lightweight. The open, eat-in kitchen includes cabinetry with recycled wood veneer, Fisher & Paykel appliances, and ABC Stone blue marble countertops.

There is room for a 10-person dining table, in addition to the bar seating at the kitchen island, providing for both formal and informal dining options. The kitchen abuts the generously sized backyard; the sliding doors make for easy indoor/outdoor living, dining and entertaining. Completing the level is a private garage with a curb cut that opens into the foyer; a powder room with Porcelanosa vanity and toilet; and Nuheat heated floors at each entry point of the home. An indoor atrium at the base of the stairs instills a sense of calm and tranquility in the space.

The stairs themselves, built from Douglas Fir, are minimal by design; their hardware is completely hidden and their slatted wood build allows additional light from upstairs to pour through into the lush planted atrium below. The wood of the stairs perfectly complements the mass timber ceilings and recycled wood floors. On the second floor, oversized windows bathe the living room in western light.

Recessed lighting built into the wood of the ceiling, the original brick walls, and a large skylight all create a unique specificity of space. On the other side of this floor are two secondary bedrooms, each with their own dedicated bathroom. Both bedrooms overlook the back garden and the lush greenery behind the neighboring houses.

Rounding out this level is a laundry room with storage and a sink, and additional closet space. Ascend a final staircase to the top floor to find the principal suite. Schiller Projects added this floor to the top of the existing structure to create a one-of-a-kind meditative oasis. A sunken indoor sitting area gazes up at a 350-square-foot roof deck with views of the stained glass and oxidized copper roof of the adjacent cathedral.

The unique shape of the cathedral’s roof is reflected in the design of the suite, with the wood gently peaking and sloping to create its distinctive obtuse triangular shape. The roof deck is planted with native plants and provides wide Brooklyn vistas in a still-private atmosphere. All the custom windows in the house were manufactured only a few blocks away at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The architect recycled wood beams from the building’s original structure to create the wood flooring throughout. This also happened locally at Tri-Lox’s Brooklyn millwork facility. The lighting system was newly invented with locally-based firm Stickbulb to create light-reflective coves that seamlessly integrate into the mass timber structures. 329 Vanderbilt Avenue is an ambitious, groundbreaking undertaking by architecture firm Schiller Projects.

Recently featured in The New York Times, Schiller Projects redeveloped 329 Vanderbilt through a lens of sustainability and longevity without sacrificing historic legacy and character.

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