Williamsburg Mixed Use
To Reveal, To Step, To Surround
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Year: 2020
Status: Complete
Architectural: Paul Coughlin, Jason Causton, Michelle Schneider
MEP Engineer: New York Engineers.
Structural Engineer: BlueSky Design
Photography: Matthew Carbone Photography
The Williamsburg Brooklyn building is a seven-story 40,000 SF ground-up, mixed-use building located in Brooklyn’s South Williamsburg neighborhood. The challenging four-sided lot is bound on the north by the elevated J, M, & Z subway train lines, to the west by the MTA station head house, and to the east, by the sunken BQE expressway. Built to replace a single-story aging 19th-century theater house, this apartment building is a single stopover on the Williamsburg bridge into downtown Manhattan. The uniquely shaped trapezoid geometry of the site contains ground-floor retail and a second-floor medical office. Both sit below 24 apartments, a mix of studios, 1 bedroom, and 2 bedroom units. The multiple zoning exposures offered an opportunity to step the building’s massing and provide outdoor space on three exposures. Terraces begin at the level of the train, and pin-wheel up and around the building, as an exterior extension of living space, promoting engagement with neighbors and the city. The black-clad metal panel base wraps up around to the terrace levels. At the setbacks, a contrasting white aluminum skin rises. The textured façade is punched by triple-glazed acoustically rated windows.
