This project transforms a former industrial site into a multi-building complex, reconciling the conflict between intense manufacturing uses, the surrounding rail lines and highways, and the City’s desired “Green Gateway to Jersey City”. The program supports multiple city agencies, with space for offices, hearings, vehicle repair, recycling, emergency services, material staging, and parking. The overall plan establishes an unfolding procession beginning at the street and terminating at the southwestern tip. The layout addresses many factors, such as pronounced elevation changes, existing structures, and vehicle circulation.
Three main buildings anchor distinct site regions; internal and external forces generate the irregular geometries with massing that responds to the functions within. Throughout the building clusters, the spaces are flooded with natural light via windows, clerestories, and skylights. Targeted for LEED Platinum and net-zero electrical consumption, the project employs a wide range of sustainable strategies. The vestigial steel frame of an abandoned warehouse was recycled to support photovoltaic panels generating 1.1 MW of electricity, while providing shaded parking.