A redesign has been revealed for 280 Kent Avenue, a 36-story two-tower residential skyscraper along the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn. Designed by REX and developed by Two Trees, the structure is also referred to as Building B in the Domino Sugar master plan, which contains five buildings and the recently completed Domino Square park and plaza. The property spans an entire block bound by South 1st Street to the north, South 2nd Street to the south, Kent Avenue to the east, and River Street and the Domino Park esplanade to the west.
The rendering in the main photo shows the architecturally identical towers rising parallel from a shared six-story podium. The façade will be composed of rust-hued paneling surrounding a grid of floor-to-ceiling windows. The ground floor will feature expansive windows for the retail frontage.
Photos from last Thursday afternoon show excavation underway on the eastern half of the lot, where crews have assembled wooden retaining walls as work progresses below grade. Piling machines and other construction equipment occupy the rest of the property behind new wraparound fencing. YIMBY expects foundations to begin formation this summer.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
The following aerial photo was taken in late September 2023, when a portion of the property was being used by Padel Haus for pickleball courts. The rest of the parcel was filled with various construction equipment.
Photo by Michael Young.
The following photos of a model of the Domino Sugar master plan show the updated version of 280 Kent Avenue and its scale in relation to the other buildings in the complex. The towers stand much taller than the 435-foot One South First to the north, putting 280 Kent Avenue’s architectural height somewhere between 550 and 600 feet tall. This would bring the towers into contention with the 574-foot-tall rental tower of One Domino Square for the distinction of the tallest structure in the master plan.
There are, however, some disparities between the miniature model and the preliminary rendering. Notably, the model depicts the towers lined with wraparound balconies, and the podium is much lower than in the rendering. The model also shows an elliptical cutout on the roof of the podium leading to a landscaped courtyard, as well as swimming pool on the western edge between the towers. It remains to be seen which design will be built, as the model and rendering were revealed concurrently.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
Photo by Michael Young.
The model also includes Bjarke Ingels Group’s two-tower River Ring, which is proposed to rise further up the East River. The site remains undeveloped and is currently being used as open-air storage space for construction and mechanical equipment, as well as a community garden called Oko Farms.
Photo by Michael Young.
280 Kent Avenue originally appeared in renderings with a striking design featuring two towers connected at the top by a skybridge. This design was never intended to be built and was merely a placeholder until a finalized concept could be developed.
The Domino Sugar Factory master plan. Designed by SHoP Architects and James Corner Field Operations.
A list of residential amenities has yet to be announced. The nearest subways from the development are the L train at the Bedford Avenue station and the J, M, and Z trains at the Marcy Avenue station.
280 Kent Avenue’s anticipated completion date is slated for fall 2030, as noted on site.
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Aww man I wish they kept that sky bridge at the top. Still glad this site is finally being developed after many years sitting empty
It’s such a shame that they are not going to build a sky bridge to connect the two buildings. This is some dull, cookie-cutter design as seen in Long Island City.
Haha I’m happy about it. I’ve never like the increased perceived mass created from frame and pants buildings 🙂
I don’t know, I sort of like the Suzhou Center- it’s quirky.
Too bad the striking and interesting design with sky bridge has been replaced with a bland forgettable design.
I hope to god they use the model design. What happened to REX? I thought they were designing it?
REX is designing it, and I believe the version with the wrapping balcony will be built. They presented it at the event a few weeks ago.
They were…guessing they got fired for having too many good ideas the client didnt want to pay for.
glad this is being built but rip nether portal building 🙁
Build that River Ring, it’s distinctive!
Looks like a great extension to the esplanade. I hope I’ll still be biking by the time this is finally built.
Big and dull. Imagine paying high rent in the middle of one tower directly facing the other. The narrow sides face the river and Manhattan. It makes no sense.
And adding 481 expensive parking spaces for dirty congestion creators is even dumber.
100% agreed Building facing each other is the worst.
UGH… cmon. Couldnt be more bland if we tried why are we allowing the brooklyn skyline to fall so woefully below expectations? None have come remotely close to the bar 1S1 set…its really a shame we will have to look at this building for the next 50 years
Don’t loose sight of why they are being built -Certainly not to appease the public but to gain $$$
Developer please Rethink this.
no bueno
“This design was never intended to be built and was merely a placeholder until a finalized concept could be developed.”
That’s the first time I’m hearing this in years of following this project. What’s the source for this? Anyway, this is a gut punch. Wasted potential. Value-engineered to s*hit, much like 80 Flatbush Ave. Very disappointing.
Well that’s a disappointment.
Horrible. It would be depressing to live on the 25th floor in one of the center units of that complex and look out the window and see someone else standing in their apartment. Why live in a high-rise if you only see your neighbors and have to crank your neck to see the city beyond? Most of the new buildings along the East River are generally lighter in color and many have interesting massing. Also, dark buildings don’t enhance the skyline and are a though-back to the 1960s and 70s before people tired of the dark rectangles on the skyline. These twin towers have little shape and are so dark; just two boring boxes. At least the new darker Brooklyn Tower at 9 DeKalb Avenue has an interesting shape, but it would have contributed to a more unified Brooklyn skyline if its glazing was lighter in color. Many of NYC’s biggest eye sores are darkish Darth Vader extruded rectangular boxes.
Unfortunate, the site had such potential to house genuinely unique and beautiful architecture. Instead..bland towers full of parking that will be subtractive to the surroundings.
“This design was never intended to be built and was merely a placeholder until a finalized concept could be developed.”
this is not true. and it is extremely disappointing that it won’t be built as intended. somebody fed yimby a line because clearly the reality reason here is value engineering.