Designed by Paul Rudolph and built in 1960, Mansfield Apartments consist of five buildings that house 49 units. New Haven architectural historian Elizabeth Mills Brown likened them to a “…a pueblo village or a Mediterranean town, but this should not be taken to mean that the design is intentionally picturesque or allusive. On the contrary it is a methodical, additive scheme, prefiguring Rudolph’s later work with prefabricated units at Oriental Gardens.”
2012 – 2014 Exterior Building and Landscape Improvements: For 50 years, the elements have taken their toll on this steeply sloped hillside site. Affecting both surface and sub-surface conditions, surfaces will be re-graded, play-scapes modernized and hard surfaces replaced along with separation of the sanitary and storm drainage systems. Comforting to the ground level residents will be the resolution of extensive water infiltration through the partially below grade exterior walls. Specifications and construction administration were also provided for roofing upgrades.
2013 Exterior Roof and Window repairs: Repairs to the existing roof system, masonry walls and window system to curb continuous water infiltration at various apartments.
2009 – 2013 Individual Apartment Mechanical Room Improvements: A serial project extending over several years: Upgrades to make the mechanical rooms within the dwelling units code compliant and maintainable. As tenant leases seasonally terminate, the vacancy period has also been used to make necessary adjustments to the locations of kitchen counters, domestic water heaters, electrical panels, and forced air furnaces. Incidental repairs and finish renewals have also been included to the scope as necessary.
2010 Roof top Safety Improvements: Advancements in safety regulations present particular design problems to landmark buildings designed by famous architects. When first constructed, concern over the health and safety of service technicians navigating rooftops was minimal. Along with the later additions of mechanical equipment, OSHA and university mandated safety improvements are a design challenge often unappreciated until the solution disfigures the building. A sensitive solution was found that added guardrail protection around the rooftop mechanical equipment, compliant roof access ladders and roof membrane protective surfaces.
Client
Yale UniversityType
Renovation
