flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

2012 Reconstruction Award Silver Winner: 220 Water Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.

2012 Reconstruction Award Silver Winner: 220 Water Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The recent rehabilitation of 220 Water Street transforms it from a vacant manufacturing facility to a 134-unit luxury apartment building in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood.


October 5, 2012
Formerly an open-air courtyard, the two-story grand lobby is now the centerpiece
Formerly an open-air courtyard, the two-story grand lobby is now the centerpiece of 220 Water Street, in Brooklyns trendy DUMBO
This article first appeared in the October 2012 issue of BD+C.

Once home to the Hanan & Son shoe factory, 220 Water Street, Brooklyn, was built in two phases: the first, in 1893, using heavy timber; the second, in 1905, with reinforced concrete. The historic building merges these two U-shaped structures together with a brick façade. The recent rehabilitation of 220 Water Street transforms it from a vacant manufacturing facility to a 134-unit luxury apartment building in Brooklyn’s DUMBO (“Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”) neighborhood.

Led by developer GDC Properties, the Building Team completed the rehabilitation of 220 Water Street late last December in order to meet the deadline for New York City’s J-51 tax incentive program, which expired at the end of 2011 and is still facing renewal difficulties. The building was issued a temporary certificate of occupancy just three days before the end of the year.

PROJECT SUMMARY


220 WATER STREET
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Building Team
Owner/developer: GDC Properties LLC (submitting firm)
Architect: Perkins Eastman
Structural/MEP engineer: Glickman Engineering Associates
General contractor: The Rinaldi Group

General Information
Size: 196,000 sf
Construction cost: Confidential (at owner’s request)
Construction period: October 2010 to December 2011

Early plans called for the apartments to be laid out conventionally along double-loaded corridors, with half facing the street and the other half facing the interior courtyard. When it was decided to single load the corridors, the developers opted to create the apartments as deep units, whose interior rooms would receive daylight through the high windows along the corridors.

Also of concern were the several grade changes around the perimeter of the building. To ensure that first-floor units would receive privacy from pedestrian traffic, the Building Team elevated the first floor and created staircases leading upward into the building from Water and Front Streets. Inside, a 30-foot-high grand lobby that replaces the interior courtyard offers residents lounge areas, concierge services, and a coffee bar.

Due to 220 Water Street’s landmark status, the Building Team needed to manage stormwater runoff without adding scuppers or downspouts at the roof, which would have required perforations in the parapet wall. Instead, stormwater is taken through the building, and through the lobby’s copper piping, into three large custom retention vaults.

The new 220 Water Street has since become another hallmark of residential revival for the new Brooklyn. +

Related Stories

| Jun 13, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: The future of computational design, Ben Juckes, Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign

Yazdani’s Ben Juckes discusses the firm’s tech-centric culture, where scripting has become an every-project occurrence and each designer regularly works with computational tools as part of their basic toolset.

Industry Research | Jun 13, 2017

Gender, racial, and ethnic diversity increases among emerging professionals

For the first time since NCARB began collecting demographics data, gender equity improved along every career stage.

Architects | Jun 7, 2017

Build your very own version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum with this new LEGO set

744 LEGO bricks are used to recreate the famous Wright design, including the 1992 addition.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 7, 2017

Multifamily visionary: The life and work of architect David Baker

For 35 years, architect David Baker has been a spirited voice for affordable housing, in San Francisco and beyond.

Architects | Jun 5, 2017

NCARB launches second alternative path to architect certification

Architects without a professional degree in architecture can now earn NCARB certification through an alternate path.

Architects | Jun 2, 2017

NELSON joins forces with Cope Linder and KA

More growth ahead, as NELSON expects to double its workforce and revenue this year.

Office Buildings | Jun 2, 2017

Strong brew: Heineken HQ spurs innovation through interaction [slideshow]

The open plan concept features a Heineken bar and multiple social zones.

| Jun 2, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: How maker culture is transforming Sasaki’s design practice

Sasaki’s Pablo Savid-Buteler and Brad Prestbo talk about how the firm’s maker initiatives are changing the way Sasaki goes to market, and how they are helping the firm win new business.

| May 30, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: The ROI of innovation culture, Russ Sykes, SmithGroupJJR

Russ Sykes discusses SmithGroupJJR’s ongoing journey to create a firm culture that ignites innovation and propels change across all levels of the organization.

| May 30, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: Finding the money for your clients' projects, Paul Westlake, Jr., DLR Group|WRL

Architect Paul Westlake, Jr., shares his methods for adding value to projects through creative financing.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021