Scarano Architect creates 15 ft. setback for Olive Park condominium

The problem-solving code and zoning experts at Scarano Architect PLLC have helped bring luxury condominium development Olive Park up to code and ready for sales by designing colonnades along the perimeters of the building to create the 15-foot setback required by the New York City Planning Commission. The two-toned building at 100 Maspeth Ave. in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, features alternate rows of black and white masonry and a smooth corner curvature. But the original design by another architect had called for a straight wall parallel to the sidewalk, without the required setback at the top floor. "We were brought in as trouble shooters, shortly after the building had been framed out and city planning had made its decision to halt construction," said Robert Scarano Jr., AIA, FARA, ALA. "Our goal was to help the developer complete the project without having to start from the very beginning, which would have been cost prohibitive. By carefully researching the situation, we came up with a solution in which we added an architectural element that allowed the building to meet code without compromising the original design intent." The masonry columns are structural but also provide an attractive architectural element that accentuates the delineations in the masonry design and successfully create a setback along the facade. Having designed hundreds of projects in New York, Scarano Architect PLLC is increasingly being called upon by developers to rectify design and code conflicts, after the fact.