Just last week, Grace’s Place celebrated its Topping Out Ceremony, marking the completion of all 9 stories of its block and plank structure. Now, our team is eager to shift focus to refining the interiors and creating a warm and welcoming home for future residents.
The Grace’s Place Team celebrating a major milestone on the rooftop! Missing Andy Vann, Principal at PCA.
It feels like just yesterday we broke ground, and now Grace’s Place stands 9 stories tall. Named after Gracie May—our developer Ericka Keller’s grandmother and a lifelong caregiver—this project honors her legacy by offering 56 affordable independent units for seniors and 25 supportive housing units to the Downtown Far Rockaway community.
I sat down with Principal Andy Vann and Architectural Designer and Project Manager Shakibul Islam from the project team to discuss what this milestone means to them.
Cinn Frost: What has been the most rewarding part of working on Grace's Place?
Shakibul Islam: For me personally, it’s been the professional relationships built with everyone working hard to bring this project to life. From collaborating with Mega’s project managers and construction superintendents to understanding the needs of skilled tradesmen and subcontractors working at an accelerated construction schedule, it meant a lot to me to be placed in a key role and be relied upon alongside these talented professionals. It’s also been a great educational experience, the drawings being the training phase and once completed–the sprint to the finish line begins with everyone racing to the construction deadline. Buildings get built and develop a life of their own when the project team moves on, but the relationships built along the way will be the most memorable and rewarding part of the process for me. Representing the Architect team, I felt an immense responsibility carrying the daily batons to the construction team in the field with their various questions to help keep the project moving successfully, and it’s been a pleasure.
Andy Vann: The most rewarding part is still ahead! Nothing will compare to the day when residents move into their new, healthy, energy efficient homes.
Cinn Frost: What challenges did you face during the design and construction process and how did you overcome them?
Shakibul Islam: This was a uniquely fast-paced project with many questions that needed answers. It’s been a challenge to stay on top of the various contractors' questions and give them not only an answer on time with respect to the rest of the trades at work, but also within our project’s budget. A wise architect once told me if you’re a problem-solver, you’re in the right field. Where we’ve seen challenges, we’ve approached them as an opportunity for more efficient design and construction detailing, while maintaining our original design intentions for Grace’s Place.
Andy Vann: Affordable housing design, by nature, is challenging. Projects stop and start a lot, they're dependent on state and city financing (which as we can see at this very moment is perilous), and they undergo comprehensive review processes above and beyond what a “normal” market rate housing building would. The way to get through those challenges, though, is to be patient and straightforward in our communication with both the Client and the Design team. As Architects, that communication most importantly includes our drawings!
Cinn Frost: What inspired the design of Grace’s Place?
Andy Vann: With affordable housing design projects, there’s not a lot of room for formal gymnastics. We’re not spending on big cantilevers or flashy effects, so we strive to find ways to create visual interest within zoning and budget constraints.
The design draws from the classic New York City setback look that emerged in the early 20th century, popularized by Hugh Ferriss with those iconic wedding cake towers in Lower Manhattan. These setbacks—where the building steps back from the street—have been part of NYC zoning for a long time.
Grace’s Place is located on a corner site with a busy intersection. Playing up the stepping effect created by the zoning envelope emphasized the building’s main corner on Central Avenue while providing some roof terrace space as well.
Cinn Frost: And it's to maximize sunlight too?
Andy Vann: Yes, in a way. Stepping away from that main intersection means that the units that we designed above the setback levels have predominantly south-east and south-west facing windows. But one design feature I’m really proud of is the community laundry room on the eighth floor.
Typically, laundry rooms are in the basement, but we placed this one next to an outdoor terrace. That way, in the summer, residents can step outside to enjoy the sunshine while waiting for their laundry–read a book or play on their phone or whatever. And on a cold winter day, they can stay inside but still benefit from the natural light pouring in. It’s a small touch, but it makes this common experience a bit more delightful.
Cinn Frost: Yeah, it’s cool you were able to use those setbacks to spark delight. While we’re at it, Shakibul, what design elements are you most proud of, and why?
Shakibul Islam: I’m a very “hands-on” guy so watching the masonry contractor work at the pace they have has been extraordinary. Having grown up around construction, I’ve always had an awe and respect for the blue collar worker, the men and women who wake up early, get to work, work hard with their hands, get the job done, and call it a day to do it all again. Those CMU blocks don’t go up by themselves, and I deeply appreciate everyone’s dedication to their craftsmanship.
Witnessing one team ensuring that the cement temperature is maintained in this cold weather, while another meticulously stacks CMU blocks by hand, all while keeping up with the labor-intensive pace of about a floor per week with precision, coordination, and adaptability gave me no doubt about the construction schedule.
This work also tied into other trades, while CMU blocks are being stacked, the other half of the floor that was completed was already installing the next floor of planks above them! You then realize the various tasks going on all at once - from walls being stacked to floors being installed, to CMU wall openings being waterproofed for window install, all while making sure no one gets hurt! It’s a reminder that coordination in construction is far more complex than it appears.
Cinn Frost: How does it feel to see the project reach this milestone? And what are you most looking forward to in these final stages?
Andy Vann: I’m really looking forward to everything starting to click—seeing gypsum board go up, plumbing fixtures installed, and the human scale of the building take shape. Because right now, with the structure topped out, it feels more like a machine than a residence. There’s concrete, pipes, ductwork—it’s all infrastructure.
But as we add human-scaled elements—tile, bathroom sinks, faucets, things you can touch and interact with—it’s going to transform into a real residential project. That’s when it’ll start to feel like a home.
Cinn Frost: I like what you said there—a human scale.
Andy Vann: Yeah, every person’s interaction with the building will be defined by their sensorial interaction with it. What they touch with their hands. What draws their eyes. What they hear. Is the space comfortable to be in? Over the next six months as these details come together, the building will take shape quickly and start to feel very real very fast. Then we start to experience with our senses what we’ve spent years showing in our drawings.
Cinn Frost: Love that. Finally, Shakibul, what lessons from Grace’s Place will you carry forward to future projects?
Shakibul Islam: So many, the biggest being the importance of clear drawings that are drawn with real-life building material science. So often we get caught up with “drawing” that we don’t realize what we’re drawing must translate to the field for a contractor to bring to life. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my architecture professor in college was to “draw accurately and precisely”. I carry that every day on this project and others - if things are not drawn precisely, and not coordinated accurately, then it becomes a stall and ripple effect for all the other trades involved, from MEP to Fire Protection, to Electrical, and very importantly Structural implications. As Andy pointed out to the human factor, this project, this building, must ultimately function safely for its inhabitants. How to translate the design intent of the Architect into a well-coordinated and built piece of architecture through a clear set of drawings for a contractor to interpret and put into action, is a valuable experience I will be taking to all my projects.
Thanks to Shakibul and Andy for taking the time. Our hope is that, once complete, Grace’s Place will provide a peaceful and stable foundation for its residents while serving as a lasting community center for the neighborhood. Readers can stay tuned for construction updates on our Linkedin and Instagram pages.