Denizen
Situated on the former site of Brooklyn’s Rheingold Brewery, Denizen contains 1,000,000 square feet of apartment units in Bushwick, 20% of which are affordable. Denizen has a multitude of communal spaces open to the neighborhood, while a 17,850 square foot public park bisects the development, creating a green promenade and two 400 feet by 200 feet blocks. These masses are further perforated by a sequence of meandering, interconnected courtyards which ultimately lead to the promenade. Over the pair of these NY city blocks, ODA has superimposed the layout of woven streets typical to an old town core.
'An Artful Makeover for Two Bushwick Blocks'
The New York Times
Within the courtyard areas, lushly landscaped and partially covered walkways and corridors give way to a parade of plazas, and accessible amenities designed to continue to promote a sense of community in this increasingly vibrant area. Complementing the structure and efficiency of a more typical grid, the layout encourages both leisure and discovery, the guiding principles of the design. To support the vibrant local art scene, ODA collaborated with local artists to commission all of the art in the complex.
The landscaping at Denizen became a way of unifying the neighborhood and at the same time offering tenants a safe and secluded park of their own, with 60,000 square feet of private rooftop garden at their disposal with the best views of Manhattan.
"The materials are connecting spaces that are essentially unconnected"
