Building Tour: 550 Vanderbilt
West facade.
Construction has wrapped up at 550 Vanderbilt, the first of four condo towers to be built at the Pacific Park mega development. Developed by Greenland Forest City Partners and designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 17-story tower is located at the eastern most fringe of the Pacific Park development. The massing of the building references the existing structures on Dean Street, matching their 60' street wall and confining the larger tower to the Vanderbilt and Pacific Street corner of the site.
Southwest corner from Dean Street.
Residential entry.
Residential lobby.
Model Residence
The 17-story tower offers 278 luxury condo units ranging from studios to four-bedrooms. Residences feature wide plank white-washed hardwood flooring and 10 foot ceilings. Kitchens offer grey lacquer custom cabinetry, Carrara marble countertop and backsplash, and Miele appliances. Some units will also feature private roof terraces in addition to the larger communal roof deck.
Living room.
Kitchen.
Bedroom.
Bathroom.
Amenities
Amenities in the building include a rooftop terrace designed by Terrain NYC, resident's lounge, library, children's playroom, private event space, fitness center, and courtyard.
Roof deck.
Roof deck.
Rooftop garden.
Rooftop garden.
West facade.
View north towards Midtown.
Library.
Library.
Play room.
Detail of play room wallpaper.
Fitness center.
Courtyard
A central courtyard designed by Thomas Balsley Associates will tie into the future 8-acre park that will flow through the larger development. Views to the courtyard have been designed into many of the amenity spaces.
Courtyard.
Looking up at the west facade from the courtyard.
Northwest corner from Atlantic Avenue.
Architects: COOKFOX Architects; Landscape Architect: Terrain NYC, Thomas Balsley Associates; Developers: Greenland Forest City Partners (Greenland Group and Forest City Ratner Companies); Program: Residential Condo; Location: Pacific Park, Brooklyn, NY; Completion: 2017.
Pacific Park
Checking in on the progress at the Pacific Park mega project in Brooklyn.
Greenland Forest City Partners’ 17-building mega development, Pacific Park, continues to make progress on its first phase of towers.
First to begin construction in 2013, SHoP Architects' 32-story modular tower at 461 Dean Street has reached the final eight floors. Work resumed on the project in early 2015 after a dispute between the developer, Forest City Ratner Companies, and the construction team, Skanska, led to a work halt in 2014. The tower, located adjacent to the Barclays Center, features a massing of three stacked, rectangular volumes, each with their own facade design. The 363 units are composed of modules built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and delivered on site, ready to stack.
Looking south on Flatbush Avenue towards the Barclays Center (left) and 461 Dean (right).
Close-up of the northwest corner of 461 Dean from the Barclays Center.
Northwest corner of 461 Dean from Flatbush Avenue.
Looking up at the west facade of 461 Dean from Flatbush Avenue.
Looking up at the southwest corner from Flatbush Avenue.
South facade from Flatbush Avenue.
Looking up at the south facade from Dean Street.
Southeast corner of 461 Dean from Dean Street.
Aerial view of 461 Dean (left) and Barclays Center (right).
Pacific Park's second affordable housing tower, 535 Carlton, has been rising quickly since its start last year. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 18-story tower at the corner of Dean Street and Carlton Avenue, will offer 298 affordable units in a predominantly brick structure that seeks to address the neighborhood context. Currently the projects superstructure has reached the 16th floor.
Aerial view of the north facade of 535 Carlton.
Northwest corner of 535 Carlton (right) and 550 Vanderbilt (left) from Carlton Avenue.
North facade of 535 Carlton.
Aerial View of the east facade of 535 Carlton from 550 Vanderbilt.
Southeast corner of 535 Carlton from Dean Street.
Southwest corner of 535 Carlton at the intersection of Dean Street and Carlton Avenue.
Southwest corner of 535 Carlton from Dean Street.
For an exclusive tour of Pacific Park's first market rate tower at 550 Vanderbilt, see my story on Brownstoner. COOKFOX Architects' 17-story, 278-unit tower at the corner of Dean Street and Vanderbilt Avenue has recently topped out and started receiving its brick and limestone facade panels.
Northeast corner of 550 Vanderbilt (left) and 535 Carlton (right) from Vanderbilt Avenue.
Architects: SHoP Architects (461 Dean, 30 6th Avenue), COOKFOX Architects (535 Carlton, 550 Vanderbilt); Landscape Architects: Thomas Balsley Associates; Master Plan: Gehry Partners LLP; Developers: Greenland Forest City Partners (Forest City Ratner Companies, Greenland USA); Program: Mixed Use (Residential, Office, Hotel, Retail, School, Healthcare, Sports Arena, Open Space); Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY.
550 Vanderbilt
Superstructure has reached the eighth floor at the rapidly rising 550 Vanderbilt, the first of four condo towers to be built at the Pacific Park mega development. Developed by Greenland Forest City Partners and designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 17-story tower will offer 278 luxury condo units ranging from studios to four-bedrooms.
Located at the eastern most fringe of the larger Pacific Park development, the massing of the building references the existing structures on Dean Street, matching their 60' street wall. The 8-acre future park, designed by Thomas Balsley Associates, will be a feature element for the tower, with residences and amenity spaces designed to showcase the park views. One such amenity, an eighth floor landscaped roof terrace, will offer residents views to the park and the Brooklyn skyline. Some units will also feature private roof terraces in addition to the larger communal roof deck. Other amenities in the building include a resident's lounge, library, children's playroom, private event space, and a fitness center.
West facade from Carlton Avenue.
Southwest corner from Dean Street.
West façade from the site of the future park.
Southwest corner.
Courtyard at the west façade.
Looking west towards the future park and the rest of the Pacific Park development sites under construction.
Looking north towards rapidly rising Downtown Brooklyn.
Looking southeast from a lower floor under construction.
Southeast corner.
Southeast corner from Dean Street and Vanderbilt Avenue.
Southeast corner from Dean Street.
East façade from Vanderbilt Avenue.
North façade from Vanderbilt Avenue.
North façade from Atlantic Avenue.
Aerial view of the construction site for 550 Vanderbilt and the adjoining park.
Architects: COOKFOX Architects; Developers: Greenland Forest City Partners (Greenland Group and Forest City Ratner Companies); Program: Residential Condo; Location: Pacific Park, Brooklyn, NY; Completion: 2016.
Pacific Park Murals
Over the weekend, artists and community volunteers came together to create 10 murals to cover the long stretch of construction fencing along Dean Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt. The event was organized by Greenland Forest City Partners, the developers of the Pacific Park mega development underway behind the fencing. Artist Mike Perry oversaw the planning and creation of the murals. A block party for the surrounding neighborhood also accompanied the creation of the murals.
Barclays Center Green Roof
Installation of the sedum for the green roof atop the Barclays Center arena has begun. The underlying structure has been under construction for several months, but with the arrival of spring the vegetation has started to appear. Sedum will be installed in four mixes that allow for year round vegetation.
Pacific Park
Construction appears to be picking up pace once again at the megaproject formerly known as Atlantic Yards, in Brooklyn. The project has been rebranded Pacific Park and has four towers currently under construction.
After disputes between Skanska and developer Forest City Ratner that led to a site shutdown and legal battles, SHoP Architects' B2 modular tower, now rebranded as 461 Dean, is slated to resume construction. According to Curbed, the 10th floor units, where construction stalled, must be realigned before the remaining 22 stories can be installed on site. In February, permits were filed for SHoP's second building for the project, 30 6th Avenue, a 23-story all affordable rental building adjacent to 461 Dean. Along with apartments, the building will include a healthcare facility, commercial space, and a parking garage. Ground breaking on 30 6th Avenue should take place in June.
Looking towards Barclays Center from the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues.
Looking towards Barclays Center.
Northwest corner of 461 Dean (right) and Barclays Center (left).
West façade of 461 Dean.
South façade of 461 Dean.
Southeast corner of 461 Dean (left), future site of 30 6th Avenue (right), and Barclays Center (center).
Looking west on Dean Street towards 461 Dean and Barclays Center (right).
East façade of Barclays Center (center) with future site of 30 6th Avenue (left) and the B4 tower (right).
Northeast corner of Barclays Center and the future site of the B4 tower.
Looking west along the Vanderbilt Rail Yards towards Barclays Center (center).
Looking east along the Vanderbilt Rail Yards.
Along with SHoP, COOKFOX Architects are currently designing two towers for the mega development. Initial site work has begun at 550 Vanderbilt Avenue, a 17-story, 278 unit condo tower. Amenities include a shared roof terrace on the eighth floor, residents lounge, library, playroom, fitness center, chef's kitchen, bike storage and underground parking. Also underway by COOKFOX, 535 Carlton Avenue, a 19-story, 298 unit rental building that will be comprised of only affordable units. Both projects have an optimistic completion date of June 2016.
Northwest corner of 535 Carlton.
Southwest corner of 535 Carlton.
Development signage on site.
Southeast corner of 550 Vanderbilt.
Northeast corner of 550 Vanderbilt.
Architects: SHoP Architects (461 Dean, 30 6th Avenue), COOKFOX Architects (535 Carlton, 550 Vanderbilt); Landscape Architects: Thomas Balsley Associates; Master Plan: Gehry Partners LLP; Developers: Greenland Forest City Partners (Forest City Ratner Companies, Greenland USA); Program: Mixed Use (Residential, Office, Hotel, Retail, School, Healthcare, Sports Arena, Open Space); Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY.
