BK Happenings and Fall Readings

With Summer starting to be in the rearview mirror, the Fall is already cranking full speed ahead at RODE. Our eyes were on the BK last week as demolition began on the Ferrara Brothers Concrete Facility in Brooklyn, NY (bordering the Park Slope neighborhood), and the team is excited to see two of our industrial projects in collaboration with NYC EDC moving forward. We’ve been using interesting flood protection technologies for both of these projects due to the close proximity to the water. We also set out to design iconic structures that will make the waterfront of the Sunset Park neighborhood a lot more stimulating. See our project site for more information, and Architect Magazine talked about our work in this arena as well.

With everyone wrapping up their summer reading, its worth noting that if you are interested in this particular area of Brooklyn, many of us at RODE have found “The Power Broker” by Robert A. Caro is a great read (and for us was an invaluable resource). Caro explains how vibrant and significant 3th Ave was for the neighborhood, and how it deteriorated with the introductions of the elevated Highway. It’s incredible to think how lively the neighborhood could’ve been if Robert Moses had taken into account pleads from resident to build the highway on 2nd Ave instead.

This is just one example of how we’ve taken note of history here at RODE Architects as we aim to better our neighborhoods through design in Boston (and beyond). Side note: The Power Broker is also in Boston Mayor Walsh’s suggested reading list as part of Imagine Boston 2030. So, if you still have time squeeze a few more reading sessions in before summer is completely gone, we suggest checking out this list.