11 Metrotech Security Enhancements

Brooklyn, New York, NY, United States

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11 Metrotech Security Enhancements

Brooklyn, New York, NY, United States

Firm

Type

Government + Health › Fire/Police/Military

YEAR

2010

WXY has designed security enhancements for Metrotech Center in Downtown Brooklyn for on-site NYPD facilities and FDNY headquarters. WXY's designs improve the site’s protection with more attractive and durable solutions, including six security booths, roadway barriers and bollards. The new parallelogram-shaped security kiosks challenge the notion that security enhancements automatically result in an aesthetic of unattractive, industrial materials and forms. The sculptural quality of this unusual booth enhances and softens its presence on the street. Moreover, its cladding, made from multilayered glass panels, produces an ever-changing combination of shadows and reflections within its layers. The designers’ attention to both the materiality and sculptural characteristics of the booth transform this post 9/11 necessity into public architecture. The design has been implemented in the context of the site improvements being put in place by Forest City Ratner for the contiguous Metrotech campus, and planned streetscape improvements to Flatbush Avenue.