The first renderings are up for a new mixed-use development at 635 Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn; the site is located on the edge of Gowanus. Bushburg Properties is the developer, and ND Architecture & Design is the architect of record, and also the source of the images.
635 Fourth Avenue — image by ND Architecture and Design
Permits for the building indicate it will span 69,072 square feet, including a 2,995 square foot commercial component and 1,392 square feet of space to be used by a ‘community facility’. The remainder will be residential, with 91 units in total; the structure will stand twelve stories and 120 feet tall.
The design of 635 Fourth Avenue is somewhat more interesting than the figures behind the project, and ND Architecture’s plan for the site is beyond unconventional. While the massing is playful and potentially appealing, the facade does not aid any sense of cohesion, and distinguishes the building’s protrusions to a point of garish excess.
635 Fourth Avenue — image by ND Architecture and Design
Besides the development’s oddball shape and cornucopia-inspired color palette, windows are also randomly interspersed along portions of the exterior, without any obvious thought for placement.
The resulting scheme will certainly draw eyes off the street, though 635 Fourth Avenue will actually be quite accommodating regarding the pedestrian sphere. Despite the distracting upper floors, the development is flush with the sidewalk, and ground-floor retail will be beneficial, activating the street-level. Delivering additional housing is another plus, and while the design is far from iconic, it will certainly be unique.
Existing buildings at 635 Fourth Avenue — image via Google Maps
No completion date for 635 4th Avenue has been announced, but the initial plan exam was disapproved last week.
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