Mainbridge Commons
Schoharie, New York

Planning Phase 2024

Design Team
Brian Messana, Toby O’Rorke, Viktor Nassli and Hanna Medve

Collaborators
Structural Engineer: TYLIN
Mechanical Engineer: M.A. Rubiano, P.C.
Civil Engineers: Crawford
Lighting Designer: EMY Studio
Acoustical: Lally Acoustical
Facade: MW-Skins
Land Use Attorney: Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP
Flood Risk Consultant:
The Flood Risk Group | Knapp Associates Insurance
IT Consultant:
Landscape: TBD

Mainbridge Commons, a new mixed-use development in Schoharie, NY, will be home to a dental clinic and a 46-unit, affordable-living apartment complex. The design draws on the vernacular architecture of the region and complements the town’s urban fabric, while rehabilitating an abandoned lot on Main Street close to downtown. The apartment complex will be located behind the clinic and represents the development’s second phase. Comprised of four clusters, the two- and three-story buildings are clad in gray standing-seam metal and offer shared outdoor area, parking and a separate entrance from the clinic.

The Schoharie Family Dental Center is configured in an H, dividing 38,000 square feet into twin, two-story, rectilinear buildings connected by a wide, glass-enclosed atrium. The design scheme diminishes the facility’s overall scale, organizes the interior plan into four wings, and establishes a central green lawn. The buildings’ exteriors appear as a row of 11 attached, unassuming brick buildings, each with five windows under a gabled roof. Front and rear entrances are housed in the center volume and are indicated by simple metal canopies over a single-story façade of glass-and-metal windows and doors. Toward both ends of the buildings, freestanding, metal cylinders, resembling nearby grain silos, interrupt the continuous brick cladding. A secondary 30-foot-long glass bridge connects the southern wings to allow circulation to circumvent the reception/lobby.

With its double-height ceiling and glass enclosure, the dental center’s light-filled lobby feels like a spacious solarium. A sculptural, curved, oak staircase is the centerpiece and positioned between the main seating area and two desks for private consultations. The interior is finished with oak flooring, brick walls, oak paneling and a pair of long, rectilinear granite desks for reception and checkout. On the ground level, the wings are grouped with treatment rooms organized by dentist, as well as bathrooms, storage and x-ray chambers. The second level of the southwestern wing is dedicated to pediatric care with its own reception and playroom. The two other second-level wings are reserved for administrative area.

For Mainbridge Commons apartments, four sections of buildings in two rows are surrounded by extensive landscaping, a playground, outdoor barbecue patio and sports court to create an amiable neighborhood. The two- and three-story structures are clad in light and dark gray standing-seam metal with pitched, standing-seam metal roofs. By staggering the units, each has a private entrance. The one- and two-bedroom apartments will provide much-needed affordable housing to the community, with one- and two-bedroom units.

Before construction begins, the site will be raised four feet above ground level to accommodate the floodplain and a retention pond will be added on the eastern perimeter to regulate runoff. A low-maintenance, permeable material will be used for the parking surface.

Mainbridge Commons’s developer is the owner of the Schoharie Family Dental Center, which provides essential medical care to its community and the greater area. The scale, design and use of familiar materials in the facility and future apartment complex sensitively integrates them with the town and community, reflecting its neighbor-helping-neighbor spirit.

Renderings by Red Raven Studio

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