Dock 72 is one of the largest commercial buildings to be constructed in Brooklyn in decades.
October 15, 2019, representatives from Boston Properties, Rudin Development and WeWork celebrated the official launch of Dock 72 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The project, which broke ground in May 2016, is a collaboration between the three companies and is the first ground-up commercial development in Brooklyn in over a decade, with 16 floors and 675,000 square feet of unobstructed panoramic views of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
S9 Architecture is the design architect for the project, providing the overall design direction and documentation for the building. The project team also includes managing architect Perkins Eastman and interior designer Fogarty Finger Architecture.
S9 Architecture’s design evokes the maritime and industrial history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The building’s form steps down to Wallabout Bay via a series of setbacks and terraces that provide expansive views of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
Photo credit: © S9 Architecture / Imagen Subliminal
The building cultivates a contemporary work environment that encourages interaction and collaboration throughout 675,000-square-feet and 16 stories of space. Open, flexible, and light-filled work spaces connect to and blend with lounge areas, outdoor space, and shared building amenities including a 13,000-square-foot food hall on the first level and 13,000-square-foot fitness center on the second level.
Photo credit: © S9 Architecture / Jian Xu
“Our design for Dock 72 tapped into the legacy of labor at the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” said John Clifford, principal of S9 Architecture. “The plan, with spacious open common areas linked on multiple levels, supports the 21st century model of collaborative work while drawing on the site’s history of manufacturing. The stepped massing and gridded, glazed façade maximizes the water views and complements the context of existing loft buildings.”
Photo credit: © S9 Architecture / Jian Xu
Resiliency is a key consideration of the design. In response to the waterfront site, the structure is raised 42 feet above the floodplain on 20 V-shaped columns that permit water to run beneath the building in the event of a flood. The building’s mechanical systems are raised above the first level, ensuring that the building will remain operational in the event of a natural disaster.
In addition to Dock 72, S9 Architecture is the design architect for two additional projects at The Brooklyn Navy Yard: Admirals Row, a 295,000-square-foot mixed-use development, including Brooklyn’s first Wegmans location; and Building 127, the adaptive reuse of an existing 1904 shipbuilding facility into 95,000-square-feet of creative office space.
About S9 Architecture
S9 Architecture, a design firm based in New York City, was founded in 2011 by Navid Maqami and John Clifford. With expertise in new construction, adaptive reuse, and urban planning, the firm’s award-winning portfolio includes office, residential, mixed-use, specialty projects, master planning, and interiors projects across North America. www.s9architecture.com
About Rudin Development
Rudin Development is the development arm of the Rudin Family, which owns and manages one of the largest private property portfolios in New York City. Among its real estate holdings are 16 office buildings containing approximately 10 million square feet of space and 18 apartment buildings comprising over four million square feet of residences.
About Boston Properties
Boston Properties is a fully integrated real estate investment trust that develops, redevelops, acquires, manages, operates and owns a diverse portfolio of primarily Class A office space totaling 47.7 million square feet and consisting of 164 office properties (including six properties under construction), five retail properties, four residential properties (including two properties under construction) and one hotel. The Company is one of the largest owners and developers of Class A office properties in the United States, concentrated in five markets—Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
