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SHoP completes first building at Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Factory site
The first of a series of waterfront buildings that New York firm SHoP Architects is creating at the former Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg has opened.
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Named 325 Kent, the 16-storey residential block is situated between the Williamsburg Bridge and the factory's former refinery building – the only structure on the 11-acre site that escaped demolition.
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Its 522 residences are organised around a courtyard, creating a form that steps down from one end to the other. The tallest portion, facing the East River, has a large hole in the centre that is capped by a three-storey bridge containing the building's amenities.
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"Featuring a striking silhouette that steps up incrementally in height, it gradually forms a visual connection between the existing low-rise neighbourhood, the landmarked Refinery building, and the taller waterfront buildings slated for future construction," said a statement on behalf of property company Two Trees Management.
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The building's lower portion is clad with rusty-coloured copper panels, while upper floors are wrapped in zinc. Perforations in the curtain walls create subtle patterns across the facades.
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A roof deck provides panoramic views of Brooklyn and over the river towards the Manhattan skyline. A health club, bike storage and lounge are among other facilities available to residents.
![325 Kent by SHoP Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/02/325-kent-shop-architects-brooklyn-new-york-usa-exterior-adrian-gaut_dezeen_2364_col_3-852x568.jpg)
The accommodation includes studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom with home office, and two-bedroom apartments. Of the 522, 104 are designated as affordable.
![325 Kent by SHoP Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/02/325-kent-shop-architects-brooklyn-new-york-interiors-daniel-levin_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x568.jpg)
On the ground floor, retail spaces including restaurants and a yoga studio are set to welcome customers in the coming months. The surrounding park, by High Line designers James Corner Field Operations, is due to open in summer 2018.
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"The park will honour the industrial history of the site, incorporating industrial artefacts like syrup tanks and gantry cranes across the public space," said the developer's statement.
![325 Kent by SHoP Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/02/325-kent-shop-architects-brooklyn-new-york-interiors-daniel-levin_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x561.jpg)
Three taller residential towers are also proposed or under construction across the site, as part of a masterplan created by SHoP. Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti, a former principal at the firm who now runs Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), recently received approval for a revised plan for the refinery building from from New York's landmarks commission.
![325 Kent by SHoP Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/02/325-kent-shop-architects-brooklyn-new-york-interiors-daniel-levin_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x584.jpg)
The Domino Sugar Factory complex was abandoned in 2004 after operating for almost 150 years, then demolished a decade later to make way for the series of skyscrapers.
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Photographer Paul Raphaelson recently released a series of images taken both inside and out of the factory, to show what the old buildings looked like in disrepair.
Photography is by Adrian Gaut unless stated otherwise.