Long Island City Zoning Study

Long Island City Zoning Study

Rojas AP was engaged by a local high end residential design build company looking to move their offices into a recently purchased workshop in the Industrial Building Zone in Long Island City. Our first step was to create an as-of-right scenario of the potential build out. This allowed a bump up of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) due to the partial manufacturing use. Although the increase to the allowable FAR was welcome, we were further engaged to review additional options for expansion. Rojas AP coordinated with the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) for insight into the Long Island City Study and potential means to increase the build-out potential of the property with a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). We identified a minimum study area for a potential map change from M1-1 to M1-5, as recommended for the most success by DCP.

LOCATION
QUEENS, NY

Fifth Avenue First Floor Renovation

Fifth Avenue First Floor Renovation

Rojas AP worked with the property owner to renovate the 1st floor of this six-story apartment building located in the Upper East Side. The proposed scope entailed adding an exercise room for the tenants and converting six of the existing office spaces into residential units, ranging from a studio to a two-bedroom apartment. The work also included installing new vestibule doors, new lighting, flooring, and wall panels in the common hallway area, all done in coordination with interior design firm C McKEOUGH Unltd. Rojas AP filed with the Department of Building an Alteration Type 1 application to change the use and dwelling unit count. Approvals from the Landmarks Preservation Commission were also obtained. In addition to coordinating with the interior designer, Rojas AP worked closely with the mechanical and structural engineers for coordination.

LOCATION
NEW YORK, NY

Community Engagement Expanding Activity Space

Community Engagement Expanding Activity Space

Expanding Activity Space was a research project that focused on visualizing mobility barriers of low income populations. The project was funded by the Federal Transportation Agency's Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program and was conducted by Hunter College. Data was collected in Newark, NJ in order to create a test project where the team could develop a complete picture of travel behavior and the context within which that occurs. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected and then visualized through a beta tool.

LOCATION
NEWARK, NJ

Programming Workshop

Programming Workshop

In the summer of 2022 Rojas AP taught a group from Tools & Tiaras Inc., a Jamaica based not for profit group during their summer camp. Rojas AP developed a STEM activity for school aged children from 6 - 14. The activity was designed to teach the basics of zoning restrictions and architectural planning to the participants. The process was developed with relatively inexpensive materials of colored popsicle sticks assembled into cubes with glue guns. The students began the activity with selecting a development scenario. In this case the girls chose to develop a new school in the neighborhood. Then they were presented with a map that indicated existing vacant or underused sites in the neighborhood, as well as the current zoning regulations. They selected a development site with a conforming zone. Once their site was selected they used a large scale map and colored cubes to identify the different program element that would need to be incorporated into a new school. The blocks were then stacked to develop massing models of the program. Ideas of stacking utilities, circulation, and adjacency were taught in this part of the exercise.

LOCATION
QUEENS, NY

Bronx Pro Bono Outdoor Dining

Bronx Pro Bono Outdoor Dining

As part of the NYCxDESIGN Corps program, Rojas AP was contacted by the restaurant owner of the South of France to design two outdoor dining areas. In addition to complying with the city’s COVID-19 and dining regulations, Rojas AP was compelled by the owner to propose a space that offers its customers cross-ventilation during the summer that can also keep the heater-generated air during the winter. The owner wanted windows and doors that allowed the two structures to be locked from the outside and keep the restaurant’s belongings safe overnight. For cross-ventilation and natural light, Rojas AP proposed a custom-made window for each module, with sliding glass panels that can be removed during work hours. For better insulation, we proposed double-pane glass. Rojas AP also proposed UV-protected clear corrugated polycarbonate roofing for additional natural light. The challenge was to make this authentic Puerto Rican restaurant visually stand out from the adjacent restaurant. The result was a combination of terra-cotta painted plywood and off-white trims, with black and white Chevron shaped painted plywood flooring to resemble the historic colonial look and feel of Old San Juan.

LOCATION
BRONX, NY

Historical Home Restoration

Historical Home Restoration

Coming Soon

LOCATION
QUEENS, NY

Long Island City Facade Repair

Long Island City Facade Repair

Coming Soon

LOCATION
QUEENS, NY