In recent years developers putting up a forest of residential towers have been accused of turning the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront into Miami-on-the-East-River. With his new plan for the 11-acre Domino Sugar refinery in Williamsburg officially unveiled on Sunday, Jed Walentas has crafted something that might better be described as Dubai-on-the-East-River. — Crain's
Audacious new waterfront development designed by SHoP unveiled in Brooklyn. Transforms derelict Domino Sugar refinery into 24/7 community with designs the likes of which New York has never seen.
14 Comments
Seriously, I would expect miles better from shop.
this is really nasty
Hmm, the massing is somehow interesting as a counterpoint to the City's skyline, I have to say. The architectural expression is a little clunky, but if OMA had done it, it would be considered OK...
I am so offended!
This should look like rome instead!
quickly, my faux-oldies, gather your pencils!
palladio everywhere now!
architectural expression aside, that street scene (saw it on another site) looks/feels like Midtown Manhattan, not Brooklyn near the waterfront.
another note on urbanism -- these lush spaces on the waterfront will almost certainly be private spaces, just like Brooklyn Bridge Park. BBP feels public, but when push comes to shove, it's as private as it wants to be.
Aaron, can you explain that about BBP? Does it close at night? Or are certain activities just clamped down on? It's always felt pretty public to me, but I haven't been there in the middle of the night yet.
What I really wish is that we could get more commerce down by the water -- something OTHER than just parkland. I understand the need for resilient shorelines, but there should be some way to enable restaurants, cafes, boardwalks in addition to greenspace.
George, I agree, it feels like a truly public space. I live nearby and visit regularly (and love it). I'm just being grumpy about a recent experience -- I requested info about permits so I could find out which soccer leagues had reserved the new fields at Pier 5. BBP informed me that they were a private park and didn't have to share that info. I work very near Zucotti Park, and have become really sensitive about how privately owned public spaces are administered.
Anyway, Two Trees will do a better job developing this site that most other developers...
Makes you pine for a Gehry! At least his work looks ornamental, these just look dumb.
That's just abysmal, very 'freshmen' level design... hopefully they'll run out of money or something.
what up with the whining?
remember when times square was full-o-hookers, you miss that too now?
In case you haven't heard williamsburg is getting a whole foods.
#Stuff-is-changing
#Stuff-is-changing
Yuppy Hipster paradise. I hate the new sterile NY. Profile, there are still hookers in times square they just wear suits and ties now. There are still mobsters too, they just work on wall street now.
Great, more multi-story boxes. This is a horrible design and definitely not world class architecture. This looks more like something a first year architecture student might throw together the night before a class presentation. It's boring, dated, and just plain ugly. I definitely agree, I expected more from SHoP. I really hope this doesn't happen.
So, so, so terrible. I think this is the first project I've ever seen from shop that's made me this ill / angry. I've seen miles better on student reviews.
This is not well-designed architecture. The height of the towers and the empty spaces do not make this radical or interesting. The proposal is simply bad. Aesthetically bad, conceptually bad, ethically bad. The design is like a watered-down OMA project, without any insight or intelligence. Welcome to the corporate re-making of Brooklyn (which obviously started quite some time ago, but this is its most symbolic triumph).
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