ADMIRALS ROW. BROOKLYN

CLIENT: Steiner NYC SCOPE OF WORK: Architecture SIZE: 295,000 SF LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY STATUS: Built PROGRAM: Retail, Mixed Use

Admiral’s Row activates a portion of Brooklyn’s historic Navy Yard with contextually sensitive retail, commercial, and light industrial space, rendering this corner site open to the public for the first time. S9 Architecture designed three new buildings for this project led by developer Steiner NYC, including a Wegmans supermarket, one of Brooklyn’s largest grocery stores. The project scope also includes the rehabilitation of two historic structures, Building B and the Timber Shed, which will house retail and community facilities. To enact the project’s intended program on city-owned land, S9 Architecture worked with municipal and state agencies to secure zoning variances and design approvals. The project will open in 2019 and is slated to achieve LEED Silver certification.

S9 Architecture looked to the surrounding industrial structures to establish a design vocabulary and scale consistent with the nearby buildings. This modern industrial aesthetic is expressed in the buildings’ grid-like facades, and through materials like weathered steel, painted metal, and fiberglass. A meticulous reconstruction of the damaged Timber Shed utilizes historic materials including reclaimed bricks and wooden beams. Structures are arranged around the perimeter of the site, concealing the 700-spot parking plaza within. Street-facing buildings employ translucent facades and storefronts to provide a continuous streetwall and an enhanced pedestrian experience. Landscaping by Future Green enriches the site with planting strips and open seating areas, while existing trees are preserved in planting beds made from salvaged industrial materials.

Admiral’s Row brings improved access to healthy food, public green space, community resources, and new jobs to this corner crossroads where downtown meets revitalized manufacturing district. Though conceived in relation to the Navy Yard’s existing campus, this site offers something different by inviting the public in to explore the history and future of this once closed-off domain.