Earthwork is underway at 450 Union Street, the site of a 20-story residential building in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Designed by SO-IL and developed by Tankhouse and McArthur Holdings, the proposed 203,000-square-foot structure will 158 rental apartments and 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. A portion of the residential inventory will be reserved for affordable housing. Magnusson Architecture & Planning is the architect of record for the property, which is located at the intersection of Union and Bond Streets.
A tall piling rig on site prepares the ground for excavation. A cement truck, an excavator, and long bundles of steel rebar were also visible at the time of our visit.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
450 Union Street. Photo by Michael Young.
The aerial view in the main renderings shows 450 Union Street from across the Gowanus Canal with a landscaped public waterfront plaza at its base. The structure rises with multiple setbacks, and features a broadly pleated brick façade with a grid of recessed rectangular windows. A two-story glass-enclosed volume in the center of the eastern elevation will house the main entrance.
The following two aerial renderings look east at the building’s western profile.
450 Union Street. Designed by SO-IL.
450 Union Street. Designed by SO-IL.
Below is a street-level view looking west along Union Street, showcasing the striking cutout that splits the lower half of the structure from floors three through seven, with balconies spanning across the void.
Rendering courtesy of SO-IL.
Additional renderings below showcase the use of cascading angled volumes that stretch from its base to its crown, emphasizing its verticality and creating an eye-catching play of light and shadow. The lower stories align with the height of the abutting two-tower residential complex at 313-315 Bond Street, and a series of tiered setbacks topped with terraces gradually push the massing back toward the center of the parcel. The façade is composed of gray brick surrounding a grid of floor-to-ceiling windows with thin white mullions. The overall design language bears a visual similarity to SO-IL’s other Brooklyn projects such as 9 Chapel Street, 144 Vanderbilt Street, and 450 Warren Street.
Rendering courtesy of SO-IL.
Rendering courtesy of SO-IL.
The last two close-up renderings depict the ground-floor retail frontage, the cutout between the second and third stories with its terraces and hanging vegetation, tree-lined sidewalks and garden beds, and the distinctive bond pattern of the brick façade.
Rendering courtesy of SO-IL.
Rendering courtesy of SO-IL.
Residential amenities will include enclosed private parking, a fitness center, children’s playroom and art studio, lounges with a commercial kitchen, outdoor terraces, a coworking space, and rooftop lounges with a kitchen and outdoor barbecue station.
The closest subways from the property include the F an G trains at the Carroll Street stop to the west, and the R train at the Union Street station a few blocks to the east.
450 Union Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for May 2027, as noted on site.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Cant wait to see this one
I really love the sawtooth massing and recessed windows, but that battleship grey color in some renderings is very concerning. Hopefully it won’t be that depressing and dull.
Very cool.
I cannot stand how every developer is doing their own design for the promenade…
So you’d rather have monotony over diversity? Find some Eastern European city to live in, or Pyongyang, if you want bland, dull, and substandard architecture
I really like SO-IL’s work. I’m kind of obsessed with their new pink building Fort Greene.
Another great project from the dream team – more of this please!