Saint Albans, Queens
2023
Forestdale is a Queens-based social services organization that supports families in need. Recently, Forestdale has begun to expand from their main campus in Forest Hills by creating community centers in other neighborhoods, including this project in the Saint Albans neighborhood of Queens.
This project called for a series of community-based design sessions that gave the community a voice on the kind of “third space” they wanted. Smith & Architects prepared several design options themed around different types of third spaces: café, hotel lobby, spa, and college union. From here the community was able to guide Forestdale into providing the type of third space the community wanted.