Facade Rising on First Tower at Two Trees' Domino Sugar Mega-Project on Kent Avenue in 'Burg

Installation of the exterior facade continues at 325 Kent Avenue, the first new building under construction at Two Trees’ Domino Sugar development in Williamsburg. Designed by SHoP Architects, the 16-story residential building is located one block south of the historic sugar refinery structure that gives the development its name.

When completed, the entire development is expected to add approximately 2,800 new apartments and 4 million square feet of space to the area.

The massing of the building features a multistory base that covers the site, with two stepped towers that connect at the top four floors. From a distance, the massing reads as one volume with a large hole puncturing the center, allowing the neighborhood to maintain some of its previous skyline views. 

Perforated copper panels clad the lower floors while zinc panels with a similar perforated pattern clad the two towers and bridge element.

When completed, the building will offer 522 residential rental units ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, with 104 units offered through the affordable housing lottery.

Amenities for the building will include a 11,300-square-foot club at the top floor of the bridge structure with a resident lounge, health club and roof deck. There will also be a fireplace, billiard table, bike storage, and chef’s kitchen for catering.

A 2,000-square-foot courtyard will be located on the roof of the base structure, on the fourth floor, occupying the space between the start of the two stepped towers.

Tuesday, Two Trees released more renderings for the complex and launched preleasing for the market-rate units with a landing page where prospective tenants and brokers can sign up for more information.

The first retailer in the space will be Mekelburg’s, a boutique grocery, restaurant and bar with craft beers that opened its first outpost in Clinton Hill in 2015.

A lottery for affordable units launched in November, with monthly rents ranging from $596 for a studio to $979 for a two-bedroom for households earning between $21,772 and $54,360 a year.

The iconic 1880s red-brick factory building, topped by the famed “Domino Sugar” sign, was landmarked in 2007 and will be adapted into offices.

The development’s six-acre waterfront park will open in 2018.

Development at the Domino Sugar site has been in the works for some time. Two Trees bought the property from another developer in 2012 and proposed an ambitious $1.5 billion redevelopment in 2013. In response to the community and newly elected Mayor de Blasio, Two Trees increased the space given to affordable housing in the complex and prioritized its delivery.

Developer Two Trees is best known for transforming Dumbo into a residential neighborhood. SHoP’s other Brooklyn projects include Barclays Center and Brooklyn’s first supertall skyscraper at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (aka 9 Dekalb Avenue).

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

[Photos by Field Condition]

Related Stories

• First Units at Domino Sugar Factory Mega-Project in Williamsburg Up for Grabs Starting at $596
• First Tower in Domino Sugar Factory Mega-Project Takes Shape on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg
• Landmarks Asks for Redesign for Domino Factory Conversion

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