Archinect - News

Herzog & de Meuron’s Powerhouse Arts restoration opens in Brooklyn

2023-06-06T14:56:00-04:00

A crossover arts and manufacturing project from Herzog & de Meuron opened on May 19 following several years of construction that remade a former brownfield site into the new home of the non-profit Powerhouse Arts in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Coinciding with the ongoing cleanup of the Gowanus Canal, the project reused a Turbine Hall located at the site of Brooklyn's Rapid Power Transit Station from 1904 while adding new space in the shell of a reinstated Bolier House building that was semi-preserved in the process.

Image © Iwan Baan/Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron.

Nicknamed “The Batcave” by many of the city’s graffiti taggers after its decommissioning in the 1950s, the site was decontaminated as part of the New York State Brownfield Cleanup program prior to the firm winning the project's commission and then beginning its planning phase at the end of 2016.

Image © Iwan Baan/Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron.

Herzog & de Meuron says: “The industrial landscape and history of the site play a pivota...

The New York City Council's Land Use Committee approves Gowanus Rezoning

2021-11-11T15:32:00-05:00

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial plan to rezone Gowanus is poised to move forward, fulfilling a decade-old ambition that aims to increase development and affordability in the fast-changing industrial enclave. The deal was approved by the City Council’s Land Use Committee on Wednesday, after the administration agreed to additional investments in public housing and sewer infrastructure.

The plan will pave the way for 8,000 new apartments to be built over the next decade, with more than a third reserved for low-income residents. The City Council’s Land Use Committee backed the proposal unanimously after last-minute negotiations between the mayor and two local council members, Brad Lander and Steve Levin, whose approval was contingent on the city’s commitment to invest $200 million to modernize two public housing complexes in the neighborhood. An additional $174 million will upgrade sewage infrastructure along the canal.

Previously on Archinect: New York City Planning Commission approves Gowanus Rezoning proposal

With the Gowanus Canal currently undergoing a federal clean-up, opponents of the plan fear that new construction could unearth toxins and pollutants, which would primarily impact the low-income residents that are intended to live there. Others argue that the area’s sewer system will not be able to withstand the volume of new residents.

As stated by Gothamis...

New York City Planning Commission approves Gowanus Rezoning proposal

2021-09-23T17:10:00-04:00

Mayor Bill de Blasio is one step closer to realizing his goal of adding tens of thousands of units of affordable housing in New York City, after a key panel passed the city’s plan to rezone a swath of industrial properties surrounding the Gowanus Canal

The proposal was approved by nine of the ten New York City Planning Commission members in a vote earlier this week. The plan calls for the rezoning of an 82-block section of Gowanus, along Fourth Avenue, between Atlantic Avenue and 15th Street. It would pave the way for the construction of up to 8,000 homes, with 3,000 of them set below market rate.

It will now make its way to the City Council, however, support may not be as unanimous. Councilmembers Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, who represent the area, reportedly want the city to commit $200 million towards repairs for two public housing complexes in the neighborhood before they can support the effort. Additionally, Brooklyn Borough President and presumptive future mayor Eric Adams, backed the plan given the city pledges $274 million for repairs at New York City Housing Authority complexes over the next five years.

The proposal has received blowback, with opponents arguing that it will lead to an influx of luxury towers and that...

SO – IL's newest residential complex offers Brooklynites a 'new way of living'

2021-08-09T15:25:00-04:00

Sales are underway for units in the new SO – IL-designed 450 Warren in Brooklyn following a detailed construction period that topped out last fall.

Touting a “new way of living,” the 18 unit private residential development transforms the city into nature. Gowanus’ first-of-its-kind balanced community offers inhabitants refreshing views and an array of eco-friendly amenities surrounded by courtyard gardens in the heart of one of the borough’s most artistic neighborhoods.

Image courtesy of SO – IL

Developer Tankhouse announced the plan in the spring of 2019. The residences will feature an open kitchen plan, private foyer entryways, and oversized windows in an intimate layout connected to a central rooftop atrium via a series of bridges and hallways that give users added freedom of movement around the five-story building.

Image courtesy of SO – IL

Per the architect: “The materiality of 450 Warren is like nothing ever seen in New York City construction. 50,000 green-hued terrazzo-groun...

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

2017-03-08T16:04:00-05:00

One vestige of Gowanus Canal's gritty, industrial days will soon join the ranks of its Brooklyn-esque neighbors. The Batcave, a former warehouse built in 1904, will be transformed into an art production factory and exhibition space to be called the Powerhouse Workshop by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.

The Once and Future Gowanus

2014-02-24T14:44:00-05:00

Gowanus has become the most obvious touchstone for fears surrounding the rapid evolution that has overwhelmed so much of Brooklyn in recent years. It is also a test case for how democratically an area once colonized by industry might evolve into something like a modern Jane Jacobs vision. Dumbo is both a point of reference here and in one view, the representation of a nightmare outcome, given the area’s distinction as a nexus of multimillion-dollar lofts and budding tech empires.

Previously on Archinect:

Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Exhibit Opens Tomorrow

2013-05-21T14:37:00-04:00

Back in February, we had published the winners of Gowanus by Design's second design and planning competition, WATER_WORKS. The intent of the competition, according to David Briggs, co-founder of Gowanus by Design, was to design a new community resource in Douglass/Greene Park that shares the site with a Combined Sewer Overflow [CSO] retention facility.

The award winners, along with other entries selected by the GbD competition committee, will be on display tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22, at the Old American Can Factory Gallery, 232 Third Street at Third Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. The event starts at 6:30PM.

Previously: Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Winners

Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Winners

2013-02-13T18:09:00-05:00

Winning projects in three categories have been announced in Gowanus by Design's latest competition, WATER_WORKS. The brief called for solutions specific to Brooklyn's Gowanus area that simultaneously explored the role of water in recreation, quotidian uses, and in contaminated urban environments, and demonstrated how a redesigned community center and retention facility represent a more progressive view of the city's infrastructure.

UPDATE: Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Exhibit Opens Tomorrow

Gowanus Lowline Competition Winners

2011-08-01T17:56:17-04:00

Six winning designs have been announced in the Gowanus Lowline: Connections competition, hosted by Gowanus by Design. [...] Gowanus Connections is GbD's inaugural international ideas competition, inviting speculation on the value of urban development of postindustrial urban lands, and the possibility of dynamic, pedestrian-oriented architecture that engages with the Gowanus Canal and the surrounding watershed.