Nestled into a verdant hillside in Albany, New York, Kenwood Commons creates a thriving mixed-use innovation district of the future while preserving the architectural legacy of the site and the city’s post-industrial identity.
Composed of walkable villages arranged around a figurehead tech center, Kenwood Commons includes multi-family residential buildings, single-family homes, high-density retail zones, and office space to create a vibrant mixed-use community. Lush woods knit together the various residential hamlets, providing privacy, recreation, and an intimate relationship with the local environment. Street parking and pedestrian-focused infrastructure encourages human interaction and contributes to a strong sense of place.
The central high-tech hub, an adaptive reuse project, conserves two wings of the Kenwood Sacred Heart Convent and School. The form of the original building is replicated in the massing of the new structure with a striking entryway and statement bell tower, echoing the neo-Gothic style of the original 1859 religious academy. The façade, a rich material mixture of masonry, metal, and glass, alludes to the building’s changing identity over time, an ode to the history of the site and a look towards the future. Kenwood Commons constitutes a sustainable, wellness-focused neighborhood integrated with its host environment.
