Student Spotlight: Third-Year student Emily Grimaldi

This week, the School of Architecture is showcasing the work of third-year student Emily Grimaldi! Her project centers around the adaptive reuse of the historic Ulmer Brewery in Bushwick, New York, aiming to bring the abandoned building back to life:

“This project is an exploration of a new type of home and asks the question, “What exactly is needed to live?” When I was told I could fit any program I wanted to into this building, my immediate thought was housing. Being from New York City, I’m very aware of the complexity and heaviness of the housing crisis many cities face and wanted to explore an avenue of unconventional living. The building consists of microunits that include the minimum – a bed and sink. These microunits line the perimeter of the building, to allow for light and air to enter the rooms. The shared spaces include all the other living necessities: bathrooms, kitchens, and lounge space, to create a dormitory style of living. The atrium is flooded with light that is delivered by pipe-like lightwells that live at the top of the building and work as a beacon amongst the surrounding buildings.”