Recovering the Brooklyn soul. A Brooklyn factory transformation into new workspaces by Worrell Yeung
21/08/2020.
[Brooklyn - NY] USA
metalocus, ANDRÉS ROJAS
metalocus, ANDRÉS ROJAS
New York architecture studio Worrell Yeung has completed the renovation and redesign of historic factory buildings, in 77 Washington, on the corner of Washington Avenue and Park Avenue and near Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The project transformed a historic a sixstory, 3,000 square-meter, former masonry factory built in the 1920s, as well as a cluster of four other historic buildings adjacent to the property, into multi-use workspaces and artist studios featuring time-worn brick walls and weathered beams and columns.
The project transformed a historic a sixstory, 3,000 square-meter, former masonry factory built in the 1920s, as well as a cluster of four other historic buildings adjacent to the property, into multi-use workspaces and artist studios featuring time-worn brick walls and weathered beams and columns.
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung. Photograph by Naho Kubota
Ground floor plan. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Typical floor plan. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Washington elevation. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Park elevation. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Garden elevation. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Back elevation. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
SW axonometric. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
SE axonometric. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Typical floor axonometric. 77 Washington building by Worrell Yeung.
Worrell Yeung paid special attention to updates the existing brick and timber building, revealing the historic materials and spaces or removing an existing roof that had previously covered an interior courtyard to make it an outdoor one.
This strategy extends to the interiors of the central, six-story factory building, where material selections like diamond plate floors, unfinished steel railings and doors, and concrete floors echo the industrial properties (rough, durable, unrefined) inherent in age-old Brooklyn factories.
Worrell Yeung worked with Navy Yardbased woodworker, Bien Hecho, to salvage and reconstitute the wood from the timber floor joists as a custom conference room table and lobby bench. Highly textured brick walls with layers of old paint were cleaned, sealed and complemented with clean, uniform concrete floors and white walls.
This strategy extends to the interiors of the central, six-story factory building, where material selections like diamond plate floors, unfinished steel railings and doors, and concrete floors echo the industrial properties (rough, durable, unrefined) inherent in age-old Brooklyn factories.
Worrell Yeung worked with Navy Yardbased woodworker, Bien Hecho, to salvage and reconstitute the wood from the timber floor joists as a custom conference room table and lobby bench. Highly textured brick walls with layers of old paint were cleaned, sealed and complemented with clean, uniform concrete floors and white walls.
As co-principal Jejon Yeung says, “These interventions are a nod to the aesthetics of storied factory buildings and Navy Yard warehouses, which historically featured grids in their sash windows, fencing, and ship docks.”
Project description by Worrell Yeung
The rehabilitation honors the site’s past while generating a mutable, multi-use workspace that can flexibly accommodate an array of tenants. A sprawling artist studio and a photography studio occupy the adjacent one-story structures. “The existing buildings were so rich with history and layered with texture that we wanted our design to highlight these found conditions while also updating to accommodate new uses and new programs,” says co-principal Max Worrell. Thoughtful juxtapositions between old and new—where minimal contemporary detailing contrasts with the patina of the existing materials—highlight the complex’s history throughout.
Located at the site’s center, the six-story factory building anchors the overall complex. This is bordered on the right side, to the south, by three one-story structures connected by a private, verdant central courtyard open to the sky, carved out by removing a roof that had originally covered the space. A garage located to the factory’s left was removed and the space transformed into a lush garden, designed by Michael van Valkenburgh Associates, and a bike storage area, accessible to all tenants.
By removing infill masonry walls, Worrell Yeung restored the original storefront openings of the single-story structure that houses artist and photography studios, creating a strong visual presence at street level on Park Avenue and filling the interiors with natural light. For the corner artist studio, they created a large glass block clerestory to bring in natural, diffuse light that also glows as a lantern in the evening and activates the corner. The exterior of each building was painted dark blue to unify the buildings so they read as a collection.
Worrell Yeung’s desire to expose and celebrate the site’s history overridingly informed the design. In the garden, the original yellow wood gates, visible from the street, were preserved and exterior brick walls were left untouched to reveal a ghost imprint of the previous structure. With reference to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the benches in the garden are three solid oak logs, collected after various storms over the past decade from New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire by a shipbuilder that might normally use them for refurbishing boats.
This strategy extends to the interiors of the central, six-story factory building, where material selections like diamond plate floors, unfinished steel railings and doors, and concrete floors echo the industrial properties (rough, durable, unrefined) inherent in age-old Brooklyn factories. Worrell Yeung worked with Navy Yardbased woodworker, Bien Hecho, to salvage and reconstitute the wood from the timber floor joists as a custom conference room table and lobby bench. Highly textured brick walls with layers of old paint were cleaned, sealed and complemented with clean, uniform concrete floors and white walls.
In the lobby, a large window draws light from the private courtyard accessible by the adjacent one-story buildings. As it does throughout the entire complex, gridwork appears repeatedly in the lobby, in the diamond-plate steel floor, glass block elements, and a distinctive plywood lobby wall.
Most notably, in order to creatively approach the bar protection requirement for elevator shaft openings, Worrell Yeung applied the same lattice motif seen throughout the project to the steel grids which cover the shaft windows, creating an elegant reading of the elevator on the building's exterior, when observing the structure from the street, as well as from inside the cab. As co-principal Jejon Yeung says, “These interventions are a nod to the aesthetics of storied factory buildings and Navy Yard warehouses, which historically featured grids in their sash windows, fencing, and ship docks.”
More information
Architects
Collaborators
MEP/FP/FA/Lighting.- Engineering Solutions.
Elevator.- Jenkins Huntington.
Structural.- Silman Engineers.
Landscape.- MVVA.
Security.- Lerner Solutions.
Expediter: RPO, Inc.
Contractor
Corcon Construction
Area
31,500 square feet. (2,927sqm).
Dates
Completed.- August 2019.
Material/Product Information
Gypcrete Flooring.
Blackened Steel Diamond Plate Flooring.
Rotary Cut Douglas Fir Millwork.
Seves Glass Block.
Rich Brilliant Willing Sconce - Hoist Sconce.
Photography
Max Worrell, Jejon Yeung. Worrell Yeung
Worrell Yeung is an architecture and design studio based in New York City and founded in 2014, by Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung architects. The practice is an award-winning full-service architectural firm with a diverse portfolio that includes residential, public and commercial spaces.
Attention to project environments, longevity, quality and richness of spaces, are all areas we carefully investigate throughout our design process. Backed by technical proficiency and experience, their work is characterized by a minimal, refined and restrained aesthetic, relying on a balanced play of elements such as light, color, form, and material, to create unique and comfortable spaces.
Recent completed projects include Ancram Barn, a contemporary storage building, Four Corners Loft, an apartment renovation in Dumbo and 77 Washington,, a mixed-use development near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Current projects include Chelsea Loft, Broadway Loft and North Salem Farm.
Max Worrell is a licensed architect who has focused his career on creating architecture that is inventive, modern, and thoughtful. Prior to founding Worrell Yeung, Max worked in the offices of Allied Works Architecture, A+I, and most notably as an associate at Bernheimer Architecture. Max earned a Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 2006, and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Oklahoma State University in 2001. He is licensed in New York State and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Jejon Yeung is a licensed architect in New York State, a member of the American Institute of Architects, and an accredited LEED professional with USGBC. Jejon brings an open and engaging leadership to both clients and collaborators. Previously, Jejon was an integral team member at Architecture Research Office for over nine years serving as Project Director. Jejon obtained his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 2007, and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree from Carleton University in 2004.
Attention to project environments, longevity, quality and richness of spaces, are all areas we carefully investigate throughout our design process. Backed by technical proficiency and experience, their work is characterized by a minimal, refined and restrained aesthetic, relying on a balanced play of elements such as light, color, form, and material, to create unique and comfortable spaces.
Recent completed projects include Ancram Barn, a contemporary storage building, Four Corners Loft, an apartment renovation in Dumbo and 77 Washington,, a mixed-use development near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Current projects include Chelsea Loft, Broadway Loft and North Salem Farm.
Max Worrell is a licensed architect who has focused his career on creating architecture that is inventive, modern, and thoughtful. Prior to founding Worrell Yeung, Max worked in the offices of Allied Works Architecture, A+I, and most notably as an associate at Bernheimer Architecture. Max earned a Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 2006, and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Oklahoma State University in 2001. He is licensed in New York State and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Jejon Yeung is a licensed architect in New York State, a member of the American Institute of Architects, and an accredited LEED professional with USGBC. Jejon brings an open and engaging leadership to both clients and collaborators. Previously, Jejon was an integral team member at Architecture Research Office for over nine years serving as Project Director. Jejon obtained his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 2007, and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree from Carleton University in 2004.
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