Sendero Verde

Located in East Harlem in New York City, Sendero Verde is a mixed-use multi-building project awarded through the City’s SustainNYC program, which seeks to create affordable housing for New Yorkers without compromising design quality.

Sendero Verde will contain 709 designated affordable units as well as extensive community space, retail space, and outdoor gardens. A school will also be operating in the space, as well as supportive programming operated by Union Settlement, which is one of the oldest settlement houses in New York City. Ground floor retail will wrap the site.

In taking a cue from an historical trail that once crossed through the site, the project is arranged around a central meandering landscaped path, which weaves through the project from Park Avenue to the western end of 111th Street and Madison Avenue. The massing is broken down into three separate volumes which frame this path, creating a central courtyard. This courtyard spills out onto different levels, creating opportunities for individual community gardens.

Sendero Verde will be Passive House certified, making it the largest fully affordable Passive House building in the world when it is completed.

The concept behind Sendero Verde is that by providing a variety of opportunities and support services under one roof, we can work to break the cycle of poverty that disrupts so many people’s lives. This "Community of Opportunity" is woven throughout the project and is reflected in both the types of spaces that are offered, and in how those spaces are arranged. Each intrinsic program element will retain its own individuality, but because of their juxtaposition and linking will yield something greater.