The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Power Station, completed in 1903, was originally built to supply electricity to the local steam railroad, elevated railroad, and street car system. It consisted of two parts: the Turbine Hall and the Boiler House. About 50 years after its construction in the 1950s, the Power Station was decommissioned and the Boiler House component was demolished.
Since the time of its decommissioning, the Turbine Hall has sat abandoned with restricted access. In the early part of the new millennium, Brooklyn’s youth, drifters, and homeless dubbed the building the “Batcave,” and used its walls as a canvas for graffiti. In 2012, the Powerhouse Environmental Arts Foundation acquired the site in order to redevelop it into the Powerhouse Workshop.
After acquiring the property, the foundation tasked Herzog & de Meuron with redesigning the 113-year-old structure into a fabrication center to serve the working needs of artists. The existing Turbine Hall will be extensively renovated and the Boiler House, demolished in the 1950s, will be rebuilt. Fabrication shops dedicated to wood, metal, ceramics, textiles, and printmaking will all grace the renovated and rebuilt structure. Interior spaces will be flexible to allow for multiple workshop configurations depending on what is needed at a given time.
The main goal of Powerhouse is to support the working needs of artists and create a platform that provides employment in production and full-service fabrication, according to the projects website. In addition to the fabrication spaces, the Powerhouse will also hold public events and exhibitions.
Work on the project will begin in 2017 with the facility scheduled to open in 2020.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jul 31, 2015
Design unveiled for Apple HQ visitor center
A glass-walled single-story building alongside the main office building in Cupertino, Calif., will be used as a visitor center.
Events Facilities | Jun 19, 2015
4 ways convention centers are revamping for the 21st century
Today's convention centers require more flexible spaces, the ability to blend virtual and in-person events, and meaningful sustainability, writes Skanska's Tom Tingle.
Modular Building | Jun 10, 2015
London debuts business complex made from 50 shipping containers
London's newest business complex, Pop Brixton, will support local entrepreneurs, create jobs, and is made entirely of shipping containers.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 20, 2015
Jean Nouvel loses court battle against Philharmonie de Paris over alleged design ‘sabotage’
Nouvel boycotted the January opening of the facility and asked for his name to be removed from all references to the work.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 30, 2015
Designs released for new entertainment center in Lubbock, Texas
Amenities of the facility include a performance venue that seats 2,220, a smaller one that seats 425, a 6,000-sf multipurpose room, and a bistro café.
Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom
A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 13, 2015
New Orleans observation tower to feature 320-foot double-helix gondola ride
Tricentennial Tower will take visitors on a 300-year journey through the city's history before landing them at the top for a 360-degree view of the Crescent City.
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 9, 2015
London council nixes plans to rebuild the Crystal Palace
Plans for the new Crystal Palace Park were scrapped when the city and the project's developer could come to an agreement before the 16-month exclusivity contract expired.
Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2015
Charlotte, N.C., considers rule for gender-neutral public bathrooms
A few other cities, including Philadelphia, Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C., already have gender-neutral bathroom regulations.