AvroKO to design 130,000 s/f condominium - The Steelworks Lofts

Developer Fifth Square Partners has launched sales for The Steelworks Lofts, the first condominium designed by AvroKO. AvroKO is involved in all aspects of Steelworks Lofts, from concept development and interior architecture and design, to creative marketing and branding. Located on North Fourth St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the 130,000 s/f Steelworks Lofts building was originally home to the Lewis Steel Products factory in the 1930s. In the process of converting the former industrial space to high-end loft residences, Fifth Square Partners and AvroKO are working to repurpose original site materials, preserving the best qualities of the objects while injecting them with new life to celebrate the building's history. "It was very important to us to stay true to the history of the Steelworks Lofts building," said Kristina O'Neal, partner of AvroKO. "We tried to preserve unique structural elements and repurpose materials we found onsite to lessen our impact on the environment while reclaiming a little piece of history and giving it new form."  "Our preservationist approach to the design of Steelworks Lofts helps to reduce the project's carbon footprint by minimizing the use of energy, landfill space, and natural resources during construction," said David Berger, co-founding partner of Fifth Square Partners. "It's green design at its simplest." Steelworks Lofts, with project architecture by Gene Kaufman, Architect, P.C., will offer residences with 640 to 1,683 s/f of living space. Steelworks Lofts will be ready for occupancy early spring 2010. Fifth Square Partners selected Greener By Design, a firm that is leading the New York industry in greenroofing as a tangible way to slow global warming, to landscape Steelworks Lofts 8,500 s/f roof deck.