Meltzer/Mandl Architects to design 200,000 s/f mixed-use dev.

Meltzer/Mandl Architects has been retained to design Metropolitan Avenue Apartments, a 200,000 s/f mixed-use development comprising residential, retail and parking at 502 Metropolitan Ave. in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, according to Marvin Meltzer, AIA, president of the firm. The 14-story building, situated on a site the size of half a large city block, will offer 140 rental homes and 26,000 s/f of retail space. There will also be a three-story parking garage, which will have approximately 210 spots with attended parking. The development will have frontage on three streets - a residential entry court opening and a retail storefront on Keap St. and Metropolitan Ave., and the parking garage on Rodney Street. "This was an extremely intricate project, as such a mixed-use development requires a creative massing concept for the overall design," said David Stuart, AIA, project director at Meltzer/Mandl. "We had to pay careful attention to every detail to ensure that the site will accommodate all three components," he continues. "For example, we designed the parking garage to descend into a two-story structure. In this way, the three-story garage will have the appearance of a single-level building and it will not cover up the windows of the adjacent residential building." The project team includes Clo-oth of Brooklyn as the interior designer; Severud Associates, PC as the structural engineer; and Dagher Engineering, PLLC. as the mechanical/electrical engineer. Construction is slated for completion in 2010.