CONNECTION THROUGH MOVEMENT
Project Partner:
Hannah Grace Coker
Gowanus, New York
Fall Semester, 2020
This building is a mixed-use office building in the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. The site is a superfund site on the Gowanus Canal, next to the metro line connected to the site with a bridge above. The future development of an esplanade takes advantage of the cleaning efforts of the canal to create a public green corridor. Our design fully embraces the idea of a riverfront park and public accessibility through key features of the building: a grand staircase, retail spaces on multiple levels, public stairs, and access to the canal. This building focuses on public vs. private, giving special attention to how transportation influences the site. As it is along the metro and future esplanade, transportation via foot traffic was the biggest influence on the design, as seen through the plinth, grand staircase, and retail spaces.
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The building is split into two main parts: a plinth and a tower. The general rule for program designation is that the plinth is for public use, and the tower is for private use. The connection between tower and plinth belongs to a series of key mixed-use spaces that are located along the exterior stairs. As the stairs travel upward, there are areas for people to rest and view the metro. Since a large portion of the building is carved to provide views of the metro, public transportation becomes a spectacle. The public stairs stop at the sixth floor and create a large outdoor breezeway for scenic views of Brooklyn and Gowanus. The third and sixth-floor lobbies are the primary zones where the public and private areas intermingle. Though the lobby areas can be accessed by the public, elevator access is restricted primarily for employees. The grand staircase connects these points from public to private on the outside of the building by carving mass out of the building. This carved language of the tower is represented in the façade through twisting louvers. The twisting of the louvers denotes areas of solid and void created by the carved stairs. They also act as a sun control component for the building while still allowing plenty of natural light into the interior.
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The plinth is designed for primarily public use due to its proximity and accessibility from the street and metro station. The plinth extends down to the Gowanus canal through a series of outdoor amphitheater steps and ramps, making the lowest terrace accessible from the street or from the water through a small boat docking area. The artist studios on the North side of the base provide a point of attraction for building tenants and for public shoppers. The large area behind the studios is a designated maker space, totally accessible by the public. This area functions similarly to a public library, where the public can access supplies and services that they may not have access to. On the second level of the plinth, there are retail stores that help draw the public away from the road and into the building. Further up the plinth, on the third-floor landing, there is a small café that provides gastronomic interest for the site and sits just across from the third-floor lobby. These key experiences are connected by the grand staircase and provide a continual connection between spaces.
