Download CS02 Balancing Development at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

 CS02 Balancing Development at the Brooklyn Navy Yard TRACK: Balancing Change, Preservation, and Development SESSION CHAIR Elizabeth Leber AIA, LEED AP Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects & Planners New York, NY USA CS02a: Adaptive Reuse, Preservation and Development of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Panelist: Shani LeibowitzAICP, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn, NY USA ABSTRACT BNYDC maintains the character of more than forty buildings in the Navy Yard, which were built at various stages during the Yard’s long history. Approximately one quarter of the Yard’s buildings were built in the 19thCentury; a majority of the others were built in the years leading up to World War II. At the core of development initiatives is commitment to stabilize landmarks, and adaptively reuse and/or renovate existing structures. • Bldg 92, United States Marine Corps Commandant's Residence. Building 92 was designed in 1857 by Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, and one of the founders and second president of the American Institute of Architects. His most famous construction is the cast-­‐
iron dome of the United States Capitol. The complex included USMC Officers Quarters in Building 93, USMC barracks and a gatehouse on Flushing Avenue. Reopened in November 2011 as the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92, the new site houses an exhibition, visitors and employment center in the historic building and modern extension. BLDG 92 represents the cornerstone of BNYDC’s commitment to historic preservation and community engagement. • Bldg 200, Sands Street Gatehouse. Completed in 1906, this was the main entrance to the Yard prior to WWII. BNYDC began construction in 2008 to restore the historic Sands Street gatehouses to as close to its turn-­‐of-­‐century look as possible. • Bldg 128, Machine Shop & erecting wing, Machinery Division, Substation 9. Built in 1899, the steel structure was used to assemble large boiler engines and fabricated sections of naval vessels. It contained an annealing furnace, which remains today. In the 1940s the space was converted into a machine shop for the fabrication of impellers and shafts. Construction is underway to adaptively reuse the building’s foundation and steel and develop a 215,000SF Green Manufacturing Center. The three structures in the Yard that are designated as New York City landmarks include Dry Dock 1, Naval Hospital and the Chief Surgeon’s House. Nearly all of the buildings in the Yard were built by the Navy for industrial use; BNYDC and its tenants continue to utilize these buildings for industrial purposes, including: • Bldg 10. Originally a Construction and Repair store and electric plant, the granite building was converted into a forge shop and storage in 1880. • Bldg 1Used to assemble piping for plumbing aboard ships as well as pattern designs for ship construction. The building was converted in 1943 to pipe and copper shops. Today it is occupied by IceStone who manufacture eco-­‐friendly durable surface materials for countertops and flooring. • Bldg 121, Paymaster's Building. Built in 1905, the Paymaster’s house served as the bank for both the civilian and naval personnel on the Yard. The building is currently leased by Kings County Distillery, the state’s first distillery since prohibition. • Dry Dock The granite graving dry dock was constructed between 1841 and 1851 as the first permanent dry dock in the New York area. It is currently leased to GMD Ship Repair to repair small vessels that service the New York and New Jersey Harbor. • Naval Hospital. Constructed in 1838, the two-­‐story Greek Revival marble hospital was designed by Martin B. Thompson, a prominent architect of other New York City military buildings. The hospital campus will be developed with Steiner Studios—an existing tenant and owner of the East Coast’s largest sound stages—as a media campus. CS02b: Brooklyn Navy Yard: National Register and Historic Preservation Tax Credits Panelist: Ward Dennis, Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, LLC, New York, NY USA ABSTRACT As the historic preservation consultant to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, HQ prepared the nomination for the proposed New York Navy Yard National Register Historic District, and is consulting on the rehabilitation of two historic buildings at BNY, Building 77 and the Building 128 complex, both of which are seeking historic preservation tax credits. HQ is also working with a third-­‐
party developer on the redevelopment of the former Officer’s Row site at the southwest corner of the Navy Yard. The New York (aka Brooklyn) Navy Yard was established in 1801 on Wallabout Bay on the Brooklyn side of the East River. The proposed historic district includes a core of nineteenth and early twentieth-­‐
century buildings, a large number of early– and mid–twentieth century buildings constructed during the first and second World Wars and the former New York Naval Hospital. Buildings in the district are comprised of several basic types: fabrication and shop buildings, warehouses, office buildings, officers’ quarters and barracks, service buildings, and hospital buildings. Structures in the district include piers, dry docks, and cranes. The earliest buildings in the district were constructed in the first decade of the nineteenth century and the newest as recently as 201A majority of the district’s buildings are of brick or reinforced-­‐concrete construction, and a smaller amount are of granite, wood-­‐framed or steel-­‐framed construction. The buildings incorporate a variety of styles and influences including Greek Revival, Romanesque Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Art Deco, Moderne, as well as modern industrial design. In 1966, the Navy Yard was decommissioned and most of the property was turned over to the City of New York. Since that time, the Yard has functioned as a shipbuilding and ship-­‐repair facility and industrial park. In recent years, BNYDC has focused on new manufacturing uses, including movie production, high-­‐tech industry, light-­‐manufacturing and design-­‐related uses. BNYDC has been committed to sustainable design in both its new building and rehabilitation projects. The rehabilitation of purpose-­‐built industrial buildings for modern industrial uses while meeting both historic preservation and green standards poses interesting and difficult design challenges. The rehabilitation of Building 77 and the Building 128 complex illustrate many of the challenges involved. The Building 128 complex historically functioned as the Machine Shop, Erecting Shop and Boiler Shop for the manufacture and assembly of ship engines and other large machinery at the New York Navy Yard. The complex was constructed in phases between 1895 and 1941, and includes both steel–frame structures and bearing-­‐wall masonry structures. Since the close of the Navy Yard in 1966, it has been largely underutilized and has fallen into an advanced state of disrepair. The complex is now being rehabilitated for light-­‐industrial and office use, and is seeking historic preservation tax credits. At 18 stories, Building 77 is the tallest building at the Navy Yard. It was constructed as warehouse and office facility during World War II, and was built to serve the dual purpose of storing munitions and housing the office of the Yard’s Commandant, Public Works Design Branch, Naval Intelligence Office, and other departments central to the operation of the Yard. It is constructed of reinforced–concrete piers supporting concrete beams and girders spanned by concrete slab floors. The building’s interior program is clearly reflected on the exterior, with 11 stories of solid walls of unfenestrated concrete at the base of the building representing the historic warehouse functions and the upper windowed floors representing the office functions. Building 77 will be rehabilitated for continued warehouse and office use, with Beyer Blinder Belle serving as the project architect and HQ as the historic preservation consultant. CS02c: The Brooklyn Navy Yard: Bldg 92 Panelist: Elisabeth Leber AIA, LEED AP, Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects & Planners, New York, NY USA ABSTRACT Once one of the country’s largest facilities for producing war ships, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is currently undergoing rapid redevelopment as a sustainable, urban industrial complex. The rehabilitation and transformation of the historic Marine Commandant’s house into a modern green facility not only contributes to the Navy Yard’s prosperous rebirth but also to New York City’s economic growth, and represents the best in sustainable and economic development. The Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at Building 92 is a new public exhibition and employment center celebrating the Navy Yard’s past, present and future, and facilitating job placement within the local community. Created through the adaptive reuse and addition to the Marine Commandant’s house, the 34,000-­‐square-­‐foot, state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art facility includes leasable space for mission-­‐related tenants, a classroom, a cafÈ and public event space. The 24,500-­‐square-­‐foot, four-­‐story addition is a contemporary interpretation of the surrounding industrial vernacular and is connected to the existing building by a three-­‐story lobby that provides a welcoming entry and gathering space. Building 92 was originally part of the Marine Corps complex at the intersection of Seventh and Flushing Avenues. While Building 92 is not a registered National or city landmark, its rehabilitation is faithful to the design intent of the original architect, Thomas U. Walter, the Fourth Architect of the Capitol. The project included careful restoration of the deteriorated shell based on historic renderings and photographs, and the adaptive reuse of the interior to create 6,000 square feet of exhibition space. Existing details were preserved as much as possible and new design elements are appropriate to the building’s architectural style. To correct severe settlement suffered over the years, the building was stabilized with a second perimeter foundation, and the masonry exterior was reinforced with grout injection and stainless steel masonry ties. Modern systems and new technologies were seamlessly integrated, preparing the building for its new use in the 21st-­‐century. With the building addition, the intent was to create a dynamic new face for the Navy Yard to the public, to be deferential to the stately Building 92, and to reflect the function of a mixed-­‐use commercial and cultural building within an industrial context. On the addition’s south façade, a glass curtain wall provides a striking but harmonious contrast to the solidity of the brick masonry of the historic structure. To limit solar gain, and to create a new dynamic public face for the Navy Yard, the curtain wall is clad in a laser-­‐cut metal screen designed as an abstraction of a photograph of the 1936 launch of the USS Brooklyn. The new south-­‐facing forecourt and grove opens to the public, literally and figuratively breaking down the wall that historically separated the cloistered Navy Yard from the surrounding community. In support of the Navy Yard’s mission to position itself as a national model for sustainable industrial parks, the entire project is pursuing LEED Platinum certification. Beyond the increasingly conventional approaches to sustainable design, the team collaborated on creative solutions to green building, including the use of an open loop geo-­‐exchange HVAC system and designing the transformation of an abandoned brick sewer main under the forecourt into a cistern tank used to store captured rainwater from the building’s rooftop. The creation of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center provides a welcoming public space that serves the local community, and draws visitors from near and far into the Navy Yard to learn about the compound’s storied past and burgeoning future. Through its mix of public programs and amenities, the Center is poised to contribute to the vitality of the Navy Yard community and its surrounding neighborhoods. CS02d: The Brooklyn Navy Yard: Admiral's Row Panelist: Nancy Hudson PE, Robert Silman Associates, New York, NY USA ABSTRACT In an urban environment, it is rare to find buildings being reclaimed by a jungle. It is even rarer to find an owner interested is restoring these structures as a part of redevelopment. Admiral’s Row, located at the southwest corner of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is a cluster of 19th-­‐century buildings that are representative of the industrial and residential history of the site. Admiral’s Row was used by the federal government until the 1970s, when it was vacated and fenced off from the rest of the Navy Yard. Disuse and environmental factors, namely water and aggressive vegetation, have led to severe deterioration and partial collapse of these buildings. The site was held by the federal government until the fall of 2012, when it was officially transferred over to the City of New York and leased to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC). As the BNYDC worked on a redevelopment plan for the site, they committed to rehabilitating two of the buildings. Based upon historical significance and condition, the Timber Shed and Quarter’s B were incorporated into the redevelopment plan. The Timber Shed is an industrial warehouse that was originally used to store large timbers for the purpose of shipbuilding. Constructed around 1860, the two-­‐story superstructure consists of unreinforced brick bearing walls and heavy-­‐timber and wood framing, including a series of heavy-­‐timber trusses that have a unique form creating the roof, the second floor framing and the clerestory side windows. Quarter’s B is one of several mid-­‐19th century residences that were formerly used as officers’ quarters. The three-­‐story superstructure of Building B consists of unreinforced brick bearing walls and wood framing. Of the abandoned residences, Quarter’s B was in the best condition, as it still had roof, walls and floors. In anticipation of obtaining the site, the BNYDC began planning for the stabilization of these structures in 2009, at which point a structural assessment was completed. Although there was noticeable deterioration and damage, the main structural elements were intact and restoration according the Secretary of Interiors Standards was deemed viable. It was three more years before ownership was transferred. During that time, the condition of the buildings continued to decline. Once the site was under control of the BNYDC, a plan was prepared to stabilize the structures. The intent was to maintain the buildings in their partially collapsed state in attempt to minimize further deterioration and allow for future rehabilitation. Temporary shoring and bracing plans were developed and this work commenced with a specialty shoring contractor in the fall of 201 Temporary shoring and bracing has been installed at Building B; however efforts at the Timber Shed have been halted by Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter snow storm that followed soon after. Further deterioration caused by these events has made it unsafe to continue work on the Timber Shed stabilization in its current condition. Full demolition and full reconstruction according the Secretary of Interiors Standards was considered. Instead, selective demolition of severely deteriorated elements has been incorporated into the effort to temporarily stabilize portions of the building. A laser survey of the building is being completed prior to the partial demolition to obtain information from a safe distance. Once stable, conditions will be documented and the historic material evaluated to determine an appropriate approach for restoration or reconstruction. Stabilization of the Timber Shed is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2013, just as planning and design are likely to move ahead for redevelopment the entire Admiral’s Row site.