This 18-unit condo is built to give every tenant plenty of windows and outdoor access.
Photos: Iwan Baan. Illustration: Stephanie Davidson
The Brooklyn Condominium That’s Reinventing Outdoor Common Space
A creative complex in Boerum Hill by the architecture firm SO-IL offers a new spin on courtyard living.
(This story is part of “Look at That Building,” a weekly Bloomberg CityLab series about everyday — and not-so-everyday — architecture. Read more from the series, and sign up to get the next story sent directly to your inbox.)
Courtyard apartments have a long history in the US, particularly in temperate climes, where shaded outdoor corridors and centralized playspaces can be year-round amenities. New York City, however, has only selectively embraced this approach, with private yards and public parks taking up the slack. A new 18-unit condominium, 450 Warren — one of four planned Brooklyn collaborations between architects SO-IL and developers Tankhouse — aims to change that relationship, while also twisting the idea of common outdoor space into something that gets used.