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

| Jan 21, 2014

2013: The year of the super-tall skyscraper

Last year was the second-busiest ever in terms of 200-meter-plus building completions, with 73 towers, according to a report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

| Jan 20, 2014

BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Conference 'call for 2014 educational proposals' is now open

The conference and exposition will take place September 29-October 1, 2014, at North America’s largest LEED Gold-certified hotel, the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. Deadline for proposals is February 28, 2014.

| Jan 17, 2014

Crystal Bridges Museum will move Frank Lloyd Wright house from New Jersey to Arkansas

Numerous architectural experts have concluded that moving the Bachman Wilson House offers its best hope for long-term survival.

| Jan 17, 2014

Australian project transforms shipping containers into serene workplace

Australian firm Royal Wolf has put its money where its mouth is by creating an office facility out of shipping containers at its depot and fabrication center in Sunshine, Victoria.

| Jan 17, 2014

The Starchitect of Oz: New Gehry building in Sydney celebrates topping out

The Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building at the University of Technology, Sydney, will mark Frank Gehry's debut project in the Australian metro.

| Jan 16, 2014

Construction spending for 2013 finishing 5% higher than 2012: Gilbane Construction Economics report

??Construction growth is looking up, according to the December 2013 release of the periodic report Construction Economics, authored by Gilbane Building Company. Construction spending for 2013 will finish the year up 5%.

| Jan 16, 2014

ASHRAE revised climatic data for building design standards

ASHRAE Standard 169, Climatic Data for Building Design Standards, now includes climatic data for 5,564 locations throughout the world.

| Jan 15, 2014

6 social media skills every leader needs

The social media revolution—which is less than a decade old—has created a dilemma for senior executives. While its potential seems immense, the inherent risks create uncertainty and unease.

| Jan 15, 2014

Report: 32 U.S. buildings have been verified as net-zero energy performers

The New Buildings Institute's 2014 Getting to Zero Status report includes an interactive map detailing the net-zero energy buildings that have been verified by NBI. 

| Jan 14, 2014

Sherwin-Williams unveils colormix 2014

Drawing influence from fashion, science, nature, pop culture and global traditions, Sherwin-Williams introduces colormix™ 2014, which captures colors that inspire creativity and design in today’s world. The four-palette collection provides design professionals with a guide to help them define the moods they want to create and select colors for their projects.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Warehouses

California bill would limit where distribution centers can be built

A bill that passed the California legislature would limit where distribution centers can be located and impose other rules aimed at reducing air pollution and traffic. Assembly Bill 98 would tighten building standards for new warehouses and ban heavy diesel truck traffic next to sensitive sites including homes, schools, parks and nursing homes.




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