Project of the Month: FXFOWLE designs The Ashland: A 52-story residential tower in Fort Greene’s BAM cultural district

July 18, 2017 - Design / Build

 

 

Brooklyn, NY The Ashland is a new residential rental tower in Fort Greene’s BAM cultural district. Designed by FXFOWLE, the 52-story tower’s façade is a play in scale and material, creating a signature, yet familiar form on the skyline in the downtown area. Situated on the edge of brownstone Brooklyn and newer large-scale developments, the tower draws inspiration from the materials and scale of the older architecture, while incorporating more contemporary materials and larger expanses of glass. The building’s massing and orientation allow for expansive views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River bridges. 

“We wanted The Ashland to be a marriage of past and present,” said Gustavo Rodriguez, FXFOWLE principal and design director. “The building’s solidity and coloration is rooted in historic Fort Greene; its planar composition of glass and masonry is clearly contemporary, and the result is a statuesque presence on the Brooklyn skyline.”

Formed of a carefully orchestrated intersection of glass and brick, The Ashland rises as a testament to the history of the borough and its future. It synthesizes the vibrant energy of the Cultural District, Downtown’s commercial magnetism and Fort Greene’s residential charisma. The materials used were carefully selected to reflect the culmination of neighborhoods, culture, and lifestyle. The fusion of glass towers with idyllic brownstones was manifested in The Ashland’s extraordinary design. 

Developed by Gotham, The Ashland is one of the tallest towers to rise in Brooklyn’s cultural district. Anchored by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a multi-arts center focused on both international arts presentation and local community needs, the tower’s neighborhood also features additional performance venues, including BRIC, the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and the Theatre For a New Audience (TFANA). 

The tower is now leasing and consists of 304 market-rate units and 282 affordable units for a range of income levels. The apartment mix includes studios to three-bedroom units ranging from 480 to 1,335 s/f. With interiors by SPAN Architecture, The Ashland offers residences that feature, floor-to-ceiling windows in all bedrooms, plank wood floors, granite countertops, central air, Kitchen-Aid stainless steel appliances and Bosch dishwashers and washer/dryers (available in all two and three-bedroom units).  

The Ashland’s building amenities include a 24-hour attended lobby, bike storage and stroller parking. The third floor amenity terrace includes a gym, fitness studio, children’s play lab, resident lounge, outdoor movie screening area, a demo kitchen and exterior bar. The 52nd floor rooftop terrace affords views of both Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn and includes a billiard room, screening room, outdoor area with seating/barbeques and chaise lounge chairs.  

Situated on the ground floor of the building is Gotham Market at The Ashland, the first of its kind marketplace in the neighborhood that offers a variety of restaurant counters and cuisines. Gotham Market at The Ashland builds upon the critical success of Gotham West Market in Manhattan. The new market offers distinct dining and drinking venues and pop-up spaces.

 

 

 

 

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