Masonry Magazine January 1975 Page.25
Foundation in, loadbearing masonry walls began to rise.
The Kosinski design has apartments angling off a central corridor on each floor. The corridor walls of 8x8x16 concrete blocks provide loadbearing capacity for the structure. Looking at the plan, one is reminded of a fish skeleton with the bones (the apartments) angling off from the spine (the hallway). The Kosinski design is an ingenious way to take full advantage of the outstanding site. There are fantastic views of New Haven Harbor and of Long Island Sound from all apartments. The design assures that occupants of each apartment enjoy their view to the fullest, yet have privacy, too, for the balcony and living-room picture window of each apartment are screened by the angular walls of the structure from all other apartments. The choice location was once occupied by a thrill ride of the old Savin Rock Amusement Park.
In explaining his design philosophy, Peter Kosinski said: "Site analysis was foremost in our design approach. The location is tremendous in that it has virtually an unobstructed view of New Haven Harbor with its water activity, Long Island Sound, and Long Island itself in the distance. Furthermore, the orientation is South. Our task became: How to provide as many apartments with this magnificent view, with a Southern exposure, and yet avoid having a building create a barrier that would separate the rest of the community to the North from the waterfront.
"With a twelve story height limitation, and the density required to make the project feasible, a rectangular building was the result. By placing the building perpendicular to the water, a mere 72 feet obstructs the view. Splaying the walls of each room not only provided every unit with a magnificent view to either SE or SW, but each and every-
In 92 working days the building is topped out.
room in the building has an incredible vista. The zig-zag pattern of walls at the exterior facade, with the indented balconies, establishes a play of light and shade which denies a boring exterior. Here it is more the fabulous view than the apartments themselves that is being sold. I believe that this design fulfills this program requirement incredibly well. This merchandising philosophy justifies the triangular sections at the floors where each of the bearing walls intersects the corridor wall at 30 degrees-obviously making it more difficult for the trades. I am delighted with such an inherently stable structure, one so durable with every room divider an 8 inch block wall, and floors and ceilings of 8 inch precast concrete plank."
The economy of loadbearing concrete-masonry and the flexibility of the customized split-rib block in meeting the intracacies of the Kosinski design, and the fact that loadbearing masonry was $500,000 cheaper, led to its selection over steel-frame and precast concrete panels, according to Civitillo's Eugene Burian. He worked closely with the
Eugene Burian, Civitillo, Inc., checks progress and quantities as brick layers in the background erect another loadbearing floor on the Edgewater project.
masonry
Nov./Dec., 1975
Checking the concrete masonry floor system are (1. to r.) Rudy Pensiero and Nick Civitillo, Jr. Preassembled stairs are in place awaiting the next floor.
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