Last night the NYC Public Design Commission celebrated its 30th Annual Awards for Excellence in Design. Community Board Two’s Rob Perris reported that two of the buildings fell in CB2’s district: the Squibb Pedestrian Bridge (rendered above) and the City Point retail facility and DeKalb Market (although the Dekalb Market in its current location is not long for this world). The third design honored was the reconstruction of the Flatbush Avenue Entrance and Terrace Café at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. You can read about all the winners in this press release. And you can read what the design experts have to say about a few of the Brooklyn winners after the jump. Past Brooklyn honorees were the Sands Street Gate design (not complete yet) and the renovation of the Strand Theater, also not completed. (More after the jump…)
PDC President Signe Nielsen on City Point:
“The City Point retail facility and DeKalb Market are the first phase of a 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development in downtown Brooklyn. Anchored on Albee Square along Fulton Mall, the retail facility’s dynamic geometry effectively engages the public plaza while deferring to the adjacent landmarked 1908 Dime Savings Bank. The building’s white and pale grey terra-cotta cladding is mercurial in the changing light, and the expansive fenestration captures and reflects the neighborhood fabric. The temporary market occupies the footprint of the future build-out, activating what would otherwise be an empty lot and establishing City Point as a retail destination before the development is complete.”

PDC President Signe Nielsen on Squibb Park Bridge:
“Navigating the sharp elevational drop from Squibb Park on Columbia Heights to the waterfront, the Squibb Pedestrian Bridge provides a vital access point to Brooklyn Bridge Park. The design vocabulary is equal parts bucolic and industrial, featuring domestic hardwood timber decking, galvanized handrails with inset linear lighting and X-tend mesh infill. The underslung suspension design is supported entirely from below the deck, thereby maintaining unobstructed views for visitors as they stroll through the treetops from park to park.”


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