Situated on the former site of Brooklyn’s Rheingold Brewery the project will generate 1,000,000 square feet of apartment units in Bushwick, 20% of which will be affordable. The project will host a multitude of communal spaces open to the neighborhood, while a 17,850 square foot public park will bisect the development creating a green promenade and two 400 feet by 200 feet blocks. These masses are further perforated by a sequence of meandering, interconnected courtyards which ultimately lead to the promenade. Over the pair of these NY city blocks, ODA’s superimposed the layout of woven streets in a typical old town core.
Within the courtyard areas, lushly landscaped and partially covered walkways and corridors will give way to a parade of plazas, and accessible amenities designed to continue to promote a sense of community in this increasingly vibrant area. Complementing the structure and efficiency of a more typical grid, the layout will encourage both leisure and discovery, the guiding principles of the design. To support the vibrant local art scene, ODA will collaborate with local artists to commission all of the art in the complex.
The Rheingold Brewery site aims to become an integral part of the neighborhood by creating a highly porous architecture where the community can find a platform for activity and interaction. With ODA’s implementation of meandering, interconnected courtyards, a bisecting green promenade, and communal activities, 123 Melrose will be a veritable city within the city.