On December 7, 2022 the redevelopment and revitalization of Greenpoint—a huge former industrial waterfront neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York—took a major step forward with the completion of Eagle + West.
Eagle + West is an assembly of two towers, a seven-story building, a series of amenities, and open space—adds 600,000 square-feet across 745 total units of market-rate and affordable housing, and 30,000 square-feet of new public space to the city.
“The transformation of Greenpoint Landing has been truly remarkable, and we’re excited to complete and unveil Eagle + West alongside our incredible design and development partners,” said Maria Masi, Senior Vice President, Brookfield Properties Development.
“The amenities bring to life sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and the indoor-outdoor connection many of today’s residents look for. We’re proud to offer a dynamic, unparalleled living experience at Eagle + West and to continue to contribute to the energy and vibrancy of the Greenpoint community,” she added.
The extension of Eagle Street and Dupont Street through the site to the East River, now open to the public, provides access to a new plaza and waterfront esplanade.
Together, the residential complex and street-level interventions simultaneously signal and anchor the transformation of Greenpoint’s post-industrial edge to an open, accessible, and continuous waterfront neighborhood.
“Greenpoint Landing has evolved into a desirable destination for residents seeking access to sprawling outdoor areas, local restaurants and shops and state-of-the-art interior and exterior spaces,” said Marian Klein, President, Park Tower Group. “We’re excited to continue welcoming new residents to the area and further its positive growth.”
Located on the northern-most tip of Brooklyn at the conjunction of an angled East River shoreline, Greenpoint’s primary grid, and secondary grid extending perpendicular to Newton Creek, Eagle + West activates a new hinge point between Brooklyn and Queens, with a panoramic orientation to the Manhattan skyline.
“Eagle + West reflects the collective ambition—with Brookfield, Park Tower Group, and the design and construction teams—to create a platform for living connecting past and future, indoor and outdoor, urban life and waterfront. The two towers—complementary siblings—create an ever-shifting presence that engages both the neighborhood and the waterfront. It will be exciting to see how the project grows as people begin to make it their home,” said Jason Long, OMA Partner.
The two towers are shaped by strategically expanding and contracting the forms for maximum efficiency within each. They lean into and away from one another. The forty-story tower widens as it rises, maximizing views and creating a dramatic face to the neighborhood. The thirty-story rower widens toward the ground to face the waterfront esplanade. Shifting terraces and overhangs emphatically link the two together—a distinct pair intimately connected by the void in between them.
“The residential units were designed to maximize the stunning views, utilizing materials that evoke warmth and elegance, while providing a relaxing environment to come home to. Every detail was carefully crafted to heighten the senses to another level of beauty,” said Carlos Cardoso, AIA, Partner, Beyer Blinder Belle.
The stepping divides the towers in to seven- to eight-story blocks echoing the scale of the neighboring buildings. The façade reinforces this subdivision, borrowing the language of the shingled cladding common to Greenpoint’s townhouses.
A grid of precast concrete panels is carved by angled planes alternating in orientation block-by-block—a dynamic relief that reacts to the sun’s movement.
“We are excited to be collaborating on this wonderful project and bringing our vision to fruition in each amenity that Eagle + West has to offer. We have designed spaces that are warm and inviting, with a focus on the residents and their needs. Large, open lobbies and amenity areas create visual connections from the interior to the exterior and the Greenpoint Landing waterfront. The furnishings are simple and refined, punctuated by boundary-pushing pieces, resulting in exciting and dynamic spaces that reinforce the architecture of the buildings. We look forward to seeing this community grow and thrive,” said Ron Radziner, FAIA, Design Partner, Marmol Radziner.
42,000 square-feet of amenities are distributed to form a loop at the heart of the complex. Two levels of outdoor terraces imitate the towers’ shifting forms, angled to cut in towards the courtyard and open to the waterfront. Above them, an amenity bridge looking over the Manhattan skyline links the two towers.
Eagle + West was designed by Partner Jason Long, Associate Yusef Ali Denis and Chris Yoon, and OMA New York, with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects (Executive Architect and Unit Interior Designer), Marmol Radziner (Amenities Interior Designer and Building Landscape Architect), and James Corner Field Operations (Waterfront Landscape Architect).
Photos are by Jason O’Rear. Rendering is by OMA.