gowanus green master plan - land recycling · project summary • 9 acre lot • land owned by the...

Gowanus Green Master Plan: Reclaiming a Brownfield Site for NYCMay 10th, 2017

3ra Cumbre para el desarrollo de Brownfields en P.R., May 10th, 2017

Juan C. FelicianoMarvel Marchand

Architects

Aerial view. Source: Google Maps


Historical Facts

• The Gowanus Canal is a 100-foot-wide, 1.8-mile-long industrial

canal.

• Built in the 19th century and quickly became a busy industrial

waterway.

• Home to many heavy industries including: manufactured gas

plants, coal yards, cement makers, tanneries, paper mills, chemical

plants and oil refineries.


Historical Facts


1865 - Citizen’s Gas Co.

Process: coal carbonization

to produce gas fuel.

1911 - Brooklyn Union Gas Co.

Process: coal gasification to

produce gas, later replaced with a

heavy oil process until 1960.

2017 - Ferrara Bros. Concrete Plant

& vacant land1911- Brooklyn Union Gas Co.

Source: Eco-Gowanus: Urban Remediation by Design

Source: Eco-Gowanus: Urban Remediation by Design & Google Earth


Circa 1911

Today

Contaminants

• Pesticides,

• Metals such as mercury, lead, copper,

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs),

• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs).

• BTEX - Benzene


Contaminants


Source: Eco-Gowanus: Urban Remediation by Design

Overlay of all projected plumes as a result of industrial activity

along the Gowanus canal dating back to 1893.

Interaction between buildings and remediation process.


Remediation Process

Project Summary

• 9 acre lot

• Land owned by the City of New York

• 2007 RFP from the City to develop affordable housing

• Gowanus Green Partners won RFP

• 9 buildings with 774 units with a mix of condo, co-op, rentals,

community facilities and retail spaces, parking spaces, and 3 acres

of open green space.

• $20M investment in public infrastructure


Project Site NW View. Source: Google Earth


Aerial view. Source: Google Earth


Site Analysis & Urban Strategies


Land use and Remediation

Source: Marvel Architects & Eco-Gowanus: Urban Remediation by Design

General Guidelines and Direction:

• Extend existing street grid to the

site and create vistas to the water

• Public open space near water with

minimal buildings

• Maximize density

• Address stormwater management

Site Analysis & Street Typologies


Street circulation and phasing process.

Street Circulation / Phasing Process


Site Concept


Site Plan


The proposal features 9 buildings,

774 units of housing, 65,000 square feet

of community facility and retail space,

365 below-grade parking spaces, and 3

acres of open space.

Model OverviewProject Model


Sustainable building design strategies.


Design Strategies

Sustainable building design strategies.


Sustainable Design Strategies


Landscape Architecture Strategies

Street level view along Luquer Street.


View of playground areas and rain garden.



View facing west of Canal Park along the Gowanus Canal.

• Designated a Superfund site on March 4th, 2010

• Step 1: Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation: EPA found more

than a dozen contaminants along the entire length of the canal.

• Step 2: National Priorities Listing Process: Sites with an Hazard Ranking

Score of 28.5 or higher are eligible for listing on the NPL. The HRS score

for the Gowanus Canal was more than 50.

• Step 3: Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study: 7 cleanup alternatives

were identified and analyzed in December 2011.

• Step 4: Record of Decision: In September 2013, EPA selected dredging,

installing a cap, and restoring the 5th St. basin.

• Steps 5-9: Looking Forward: This process is expected to last many years

– with active construction taking place over a 6- to 10-year period.

Challenges & Key Steps Taken so Far


Source: www.gowanussuperfund.com

• New York City:

• Department of Housing Preservation and Development:

• Department of Housing Preservation & Development

• Department of Environmental Protection

• Department of City Planning

• Department of Parks and Recreation

• New York State:

• Department of Environmental Conservation

• State Historic Preservation Office

• United States:

• Environmental Protection Agency

• Department of Housing and Urban Development

Public Agencies


Consultant Team

• Marvel Architects

• Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners

• West 8 Landscape Architects

• Philip Habib & Associates, Civil Engineers

• Sherwood Design Engineers, Stormwater Consultant

• Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, Zoning

• AKRF, EIS consultant

• HDR, Environmental Consultant

• Gowanus Green Partners, Developer


Firm Profile

Marvel Architects based in New York City and San Juan, PR, is dedicated to

innovation, sustainability and human-scaled design. For 30 years our collaborative

design practice has looked toward the future and at architecture as a response to the

behavior of society, whether shaping public space, designing for institutional growth, or

expanding economic and creative opportunities for a wide range of clients. Our team of

architects, urban designers and interior designers, has pioneered an entrepreneurial

approach to contextually sensitive and research-based architecture and place-making

that has been recognized by more than 75 design and industry awards.

http://marvelarchitects.com/

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/MarvelArch

https://www.instagram.com/marvelarchitects

https://www.twitter.com/marvelarch

161 Calle San Jorge | San Juan, PR 00911

787.289.9494


http://marvelarchitects.com/

https://www.instagram.com/marvelarchitects

gowanus green master plan - land recycling · project summary • 9 acre lot • land owned by the...

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