Brooklyn Navy Yard (Existing)(01 of26)
Open Image ModalBrooklyn Navy Yard (Rendering)(02 of26)
Open Image Modal1. Brooklyn Tech Triangle Innovation HubBeyond its eco-conscious facade, this building would serve as a nonprofit, public-private venture designed to meet the education and training needs of technology, creative, media, and advanced manufacturing firms at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, throughout the Tech Triangle, and across the City. Imagine a testing ground for R&D that will promote a community of designers and makers, or better yet, a praxis for schools to provide hands-on experience to students.
Tech Terrace (Existing)(03 of26)
Open Image ModalTech Terrace (Rendering)(04 of26)
Open Image Modal2. Tech TerraceThe Brooklyn Strand is a 21-acre stretch of reclaimed public space comprising Columbus Park and Cadman Plaza (see 3 – 5). Designed as a contemporary pocket park, this site has a series of flexible-use terraces. The terraces will be furnished with picnic tables, terraced benches, outdoor ping pong tables, and ornamental plantings. A large digital screen will be interactive with users’ mobile devices for work, play, and spreading love, which is after all the Brooklyn way.
Judges Park (Existing)(05 of26)
Open Image ModalJudges Park (Rendering)(06 of26)
Open Image Modal3. Judges ParkAs it currently stands, Judges Park is more parking lot than park. It sits atop four central subway lines, faces municipal buildings, and is home to 25 parking spaces. A year-round farmer’s market, Shake Shack, and Hill Country Barbecue and Chicken operate a stone’s throw away. We imagine some capital and cosmetic changes that could open the space to the public through creative landscaping, inspiring a central commons for Downtown Brooklyn.
Cadman Cafe (Existing)(07 of26)
Open Image ModalCadman Cafe (Rendering)(08 of26)
Open Image Modal4. Cadman CafeThe area behind the World War II memorial, just off the Brooklyn Bridge offers a myriad of opportunities. The Cadman Cafe would create a fantastic outdoor gathering point and serve as a key element to the vision of the Brooklyn Strand. In addition, the cafe would appeal to visitors arriving from the Brooklyn Bridge promenade. It would be sited in a minimalist footprint so as not to disturb park activities, but would still offer versatile opportunities to recreate.
Fox Square (Existing)(09 of26)
Open Image ModalFox Square (Rendering)(10 of26)
Open Image Modal5. Fox SquareFox Square has the potential to be reinvented as a crossroads in the digital age for Brooklyn. It is after all at the crossroads of so many happenings, that it is brimming with potential. Beyond medians and bike lanes, as well as a renovated triangular-shaped public space, it can include digital concrete embedded with sensors, wayfinding capabilities, and LED lighting effects.
Under the Bridge Lighting (Existing)(11 of26)
Open Image ModalUnder the Bridge Lighting (Rendering)(12 of26)
Open Image Modal6. Under the Bridge LightingWith initiatives to up-light the down under, bringing light into interstitial areas beneath infrastructure will be one way of physically stitching together the various neighborhoods comprising the Tech Triangle. Possibilities include LED lights in a new, pedestrian-friendly layout with dynamic, color-changing, and energy-efficient floodlights and wall grazers.
Flushing Avenue (Existing)(13 of26)
Open Image ModalFlushing Avenue (Rendering)(14 of26)
Open Image Modal7. Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy YardCurrently the most heavily trafficked bike lane in the entire City, the Flushing Avenue bike corridor abuts the Navy Yard – a 300-acre park equipped with bike share stations and bike racks. With a more softened edge, we can imagine it as a pedestrian and bicycle destination (think West Side Highway). And once you’re done strolling around, stop by the modular-built BLDG 92 for your Ted & Honey’s fix and a peek at the museum’s historical exhibition of the Navy Yard.
Tech Triangle Pop-ups (Existing)(15 of26)
Open Image ModalTech Triangle Pop-ups (Rendering)(16 of26)
Open Image Modal8. Tech Triangle Pop-upsPop-up stores, cafes, and eatery trucks should be encouraged across the entire Tech Triangle where there are pockets of empty and underutilized space. Stores could showcase items designed or produced in DUMBO and the Navy Yard or display temporary exhibitions from the Cultural District. Public markets would help attract visitors and tourism revenue to the Tech Triangle.
Fulton Bridge (Existing)(17 of26)
Open Image ModalFulton Bridge (Rendering)(18 of26)
Open Image Modal9. Fulton BridgeAt the intersection of Fulton and Adams Streets is the gateway of Downtown Brooklyn, bisecting the Civic Center and Borough Hall, Fulton Street Mall, and Adams Street which becomes an on-ramp to Brooklyn Bridge. A pedestrian bridge that extends over this crossroads would create a kind of High Line experience for Brooklyn, offering another pedestrian route and public space while encouraging an appreciation of new perspectives on the urban experience.
Flatbush Avenue (Existing)(19 of26)
Open Image ModalFlatbush Avenue (Rendering)(20 of26)
Open Image Modal10. Flatbush Avenue As the longest artery in the borough, Flatbush Avenue is more than just as an eight-lane corridor feeding cars on and off the Manhattan Bridge. Flatbush Avenue, when re-imagined, incorporates protected bike lanes into the street fabric to promote multimodal commuting across the bridge. Activating untapped spaces along the street, and transforming them into active ground-floor retail, is a proven method for keeping the area well-lit, pedestrian-friendly, and safe. Such improvements, along with additional plantings, street furniture, and traffic calming efforts would create a grand entrance into the County of Kings extending from the Manhattan Bridge to Barclays Center.
MetroTech (Existing)(21 of26)
Open Image ModalMetroTech (Rendering)(22 of26)
Open Image Modal11. MetroTech Once home to predominantly back office supporting the FIRE industries and government, this campus of commercial offices is becoming a game changer for tech – putting the “tech” into MetroTech and re-inventing the area’s look and feel. Speaking of games, NYU opened its interdisciplinary media and gaming center (MAGNET) here along with their cleantech incubator and their all new applied science campus. Along with MakerBot and Tough Mudder as tenants – much is unfolding. The future of MetroTech is promising indeed, and efforts to open up this urban oasis to the surrounding community is already paying dividends.
Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District (Existing)(23 of26)
Open Image ModalDowntown Brooklyn Cultural District (Rendering)(24 of26)
Open Image Modal12. Downtown Brooklyn Cultural DistrictHome to impressive architecture and world-class venues such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and Mark Morris Dance Center, the Cultural District straddles urban Downtown Brooklyn and brownstone Fort Greene. It is bubbling with new activities from BRIC Arts | Media House, Urban Glass, and TFANA’s Shakespeare Polonsky Center, all which opened in 2013. Embedded street lighting, distinctive sidewalks, and street furniture will create a cohesive streetscape design and state-of-the-art outdoor experience – knitting together the 40+ cultural organizations that call this place home.
Brooklyn Bridge Park (Existing)(25 of26)
Open Image ModalBrooklyn Bridge Park (Rendering)(26 of26)
Open Image Modal13. Brooklyn Bridge ParkA treasured asset, the Brooklyn Bridge Park continues to expand and flourish, bringing us bouldering walls to climb and waterfront trails to perambulate. Floating swimming pools, movie screenings, and pop-up festivals were just the opening act. Get ready for tidal pools, canoeing, and the crown jewel: an upward-ascending viewing pavilion called the Mantaray by Bjarke Ingels.