Inside the Piet Boon-Designed Oosten Condos Rising Near the South Williamsburg Waterfront

As the latest residential boom in New York has progressed, the luxury developments have spread from the typical confines of Manhattan into more and more neighborhoods of the outer boroughs. One of the neighborhoods of the moment, Williamsburg, has seen a recent dramatic influx of new construction. Recently Field Condition for Brownstoner was given a tour of one of its largest new developments, the Oosten, at 429 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg.

Developed by XIN Development and designed by Piet Boon, the seven story structure occupies an entire block near the East River waterfront and the Williamsburg Bridge. On the exterior, a collaborative design between Boon and Think Architecture, changes in  material help to break down the building into more discreet volumes, addressing the small scale of the neighborhood.

All four corners of the site feature floor to ceiling glass accented by vertical metal fins for sun mitigation and visual interest on the facade. Smaller bays of similarly detailed glass walls march along the mid-block portions of the facade, along with brick and punched window piers.

Inside, the building contains 216 units developed from seven different typologies, ranging from townhouses and duplex homes to lofts, one-, two- and three-bedrooms to duplex penthouses. Boon designed the Oosten’s interiors in the Dutch tradition with a light and dark palette of finishes to choose from.

The floor-to-ceiling glass and high ceilings, starting at 10 feet, provide lots of natural light and views out, either to the street or to the large interior courtyard. With a footprint of nearly an acre, the interior courtyard will be able to accommodate a variety of activities.

Residents of the Oosten will have access to an array of amenities, including two lobbies, a 24-hour concierge, lounge, children’s playroom, interior courtyard, landscaped rooftop with splash pool and outdoor grill, indoor lap pool, and fitness center with spa. Private parking will also be offered to residents along with bike storage.

Close to the waterfront, the development has a variety of features not usually found in Brooklyn luxury developments, such as ventilation for wok cooking and small pools in some of the private backyard areas.

Dutch designer Piet Boon started out as a contractor before founding his eponymous design firm in 1983. In addition to exterior and interior design, the firm also designs furniture, hardware and wallpaper and has collaborations with Marmoleum and Land Rover, among others.

Its New York City projects include the Huys condo conversion at 404 Park Avenue South and another office to condo conversion at 101 Wall Street.

Based in New York City, XIN Development is the U.S. subsidiary of Beijing-based Xinyuan Real Estate Co. The Oosten complex was marketed to overseas Chinese, among others, and includes 15 townhouses.

The site, previously known as 421 Kent Avenue, was stalled for years before Xinyuan bought it for $31,610,034.91 in 2012, as we have reported. It is sandwiched between blocks of recently constructed apartment buildings for South Williamsburg’s Hasidic community.

Xinyuan has developed residential real estate in nine Chinese provinces and three U.S. states. Backed by investors Blue Ridge Capital and Sam Zell’s Equity International, it went public in 2007 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Annual sales are about $1.5 billion.

[Photos: Field Condition | Renderings: via Halstead]

For more by Field Condition, a photo blog covering new developments across the five boroughs, visit Field Condition.

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