Hospitality Design - April 2022 - 133

A rendering of La Peninsula's plaza in the Bronx,
New York, a collaboration with WXY Studio
Victor Body-Lawson
Principal
Body Lawson Associates Architects and Planners
As the principal of New York fi rm Body Lawson Associates Architects and
Planners, Victor Body-Lawson has made it his mission to bring aff ordable
housing to the forefront. One of his latest is La Peninsula in the Bronx, New
York. The ambitious development will combine aff ordable housing with
public space, healthcare, retail, and other community resources. " The design
approach refl ects our city's great architectural diversity, appearing as if the
buildings have grown over diff erent periods of time, " he says. Here, he delves
into some of these empowering projects and the journey that led him to them.
When did you know you wanted to become an architect?
My dad was a surveyor and my older brother worked in related fi elds, so
I grew up with scales and T-squares around the house. At a young age, I
would visit the construction sites with my dad. I had a giſt for drawing, and
in college, I was determined to apply my drawing skills in advertising, but
became bored with it. When I fi nally took an architecture class, I discovered
that I was one of only a few students who knew what T-squares and scales
were. With this edge, I realized that my drawing abilities could be used to
communicate through the built environment.
Which project set you on the affordable housing path?
It was a series of gut renovations and façade overhauls for a row of
townhouses in Harlem. The project created badly needed rental units, and the
added economic activity supported the emergence of new businesses nearby.
Everyone in the neighborhood felt a sense of pride and even ownership in the
restored buildings. We then moved onto a 63-unit housing development for
seniors, known as the Erbograph Apartments, which happens to be Harlem's
fi rst LEED Gold building. This experience drove home for us the importance
of senior housing opportunities, especially ones like Erbograph that off er a
certain dignity in addition to shelter.
Why do you think Erbograph is successful?
It feels like a special place with a human-centered design that emphasizes
both community and individuality. Outside, for example, we designed a
façade that would individuate the character of the windows, so that a resident
could easily point out their own apartment from the street below. Home
Street Residences in the Bronx [is another] aff ordable housing residence
exclusively for seniors. The ground-fl oor community space was designed
for nonprofi t group DreamYard to support teens in the community through
gaming and other activities, creating an 'acorn to oaks' relationship within
the mixed-use development.
What informed your socially conscious approach to design?
Growing up in Nigeria, we considered the whole community of families
living in separate units in one building to be our own extended family.
Everyone was invested in the progress and outcome for each child, not
just their own. In this milieu, you were socially conscious by virtue of
immersion. I also had a great mentor at Columbia [University], architect
Max Bond. I worked for him at his fi rm and learned much more from him
than I could truly relate. When I started my own fi rm, I was commissioned
to design luxury homes in New Jersey, but the greater social impact piece
was missing. I reached out to Max, and he told me that the more people a
project touches, the bett er. He reminded me that it's important to focus on
our own communities and give as much back as possible.
What have you learned from working in Harlem and the Bronx?
These parts of New York are not only steeped in history, they have also
emerged as aff ordable for immigrants and for those who have been
disenfranchised from other neighborhoods where rents have skyrocketed.
As they become redeveloped and rebuilt, they should retain the important
history while supporting these growing communities. The site of the La
Peninsula development was previously occupied by the Spoff ord Juvenile
Detention Center, which essentially took the whole neighborhood offl ine.
The vision for redevelopment aims to restore the area for families and
communities to grow and thrive, giving them space to contribute to the fabric
that we created as a basis for their empowerment.
Making Design More Democratic
Tuesday, April 26th
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: DesignWell Pavilion
hospitalitydesign.com April 2022
133
The exterior detail of Home
Street Residences in the Bronx
Photos courtesy of BODY LAWSON, WXY STUDIO, and ERIK RANK
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - April 2022

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