Oculus - Fall 2016 - 39
veryone wants to be part of the innovation economy. But with six million
square feet of industrial loft space housing
more than 400 tenants in 16 buildings,
Industry City is endeavoring to create
what its CEO Andrew Kimball calls an
"innovation ecosystem."
For architects, this is an opportunity to
link the city's industrial past to its smallscale, but often high-tech manufacturing
future by reworking spaces that have
innate amenity, such as robust "bones,"
high ceilings, extraordinary light, and a
waterfront location.
Spread across a 30-acre campus in
Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Industry City is
but a portion of a once-larger complex:
Bush Terminal. Built by Irving T. Bush
over the first half of the 20th century, the
Bush Terminal complex was a trendsetter for the integration of manufacturing
and warehousing with direct rail and port
terminal connections. The story of its creation is itself a tale of innovation. Observing the inefficiencies of commerce in New
York, Bush wrote in his 1928 memoir
Working With The World, "The ships were
on one shore, the railways on another, and
the factories were scattered about the city
on any old street without any relation to
either kind of transportation. Why not
bring them to one place, and tie the ship,
the railroad, the warehouse, and the factory together with ties of railroad tracks?"
This synergistic act of "co-location" set
the stage for the success of Bush Terminal
and the emergence of the greater South
Brooklyn industrial waterfront.
"Major anchor"
Today, the ownership of Industry City,
led since 2013 by managing partners
Authenticity + Innovation: Architecture Repurposed
Belvedere Capital and Jamestown Properties, has ambitious plans to reimagine the
site as a "major anchor" within a longer
chain of innovation hubs stretching from
the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Brooklyn
Army Terminal. Leading the projected $1
billion overhaul of the complex, Kimball
calls this "an extraordinary opportunity to
build on the rapid growth of the innovation economy in New York City and, in
particular, Brooklyn."
Innovation economy businesses -
described by Industry City ownership as
"making a physical, digital, or engineered
product, from initial research and development, to engineering and design to
manufacturing and production" - are increasingly found clustering within former
industrial districts. According to Bruce
Katz and Julie Wagner of the Brookings
Institution, this type of adaptive reuse fits
what they label as a "reimagined urban
area" often found "near or along historic
waterfronts, where industrial or warehouse districts are undergoing a physical
and economic transformation to chart
a new path of innovative growth." These
changes, they claim in their paper, "The
©Courtesy of Industry City
E
"Incredible Bones"
With its open, regularly structured floorplates, high ceilings, and large windows,
Industry City buildings have, as Kimball
puts it, "incredible bones." This allows
the flexibility to subdivide and adapt to
accommodate a wide variety of tenants
and uses. Additionally, several tenants
note that the specificity of Industry City's
character and sense of place are key to its
attraction.
Last year, the venerable Time Inc.
chose to set up shop at Industry City to
©Courtesy of Industry City
©Courtesy of Industry City
Rise of Innovation Districts," are "powered, in part, by transit access, a historic
building stock, and their proximity to
downtowns in high-rent cities." Industry
City fits this general profile, but what
specifically about it supports innovation?
(top) Aerial view of
Industry City's 30-acre
campus.
(above and left) Time
Inc.'s two-floor "The
Foundry," designed
by TPG Architects, is
organized around a
central stairwell with
integrated stadium
seating.
Fall 2016 Oculus
39
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016
First Words Letter from the President
Letter from the Editor
Center for Architecture
One Block Over
Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
A Study in Contrasts
WeLive on Wall Street
A Preservation Paradox
Industrial Strength
Innovation Rooted in History
In Print
97-Year Watch
Last Words
Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover1
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover2
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 3
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 4
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 5
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 6
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 7
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 8
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 9
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 10
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 11
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 12
Oculus - Fall 2016 - First Words Letter from the President
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 14
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Letter from the Editor
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 16
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 17
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Center for Architecture
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 19
Oculus - Fall 2016 - One Block Over
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 21
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 22
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 23
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 24
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 27
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 29
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Study in Contrasts
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 31
Oculus - Fall 2016 - WeLive on Wall Street
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 33
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 34
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Preservation Paradox
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 36
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 37
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Industrial Strength
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 39
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 40
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 41
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Innovation Rooted in History
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 43
Oculus - Fall 2016 - In Print
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 97-Year Watch
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 46
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Last Words
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 49
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 50
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover3
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover4
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