Mancini*Duffy to serve as architect for Special Surgery Training Center; Working with the Machete Group on the 70,000 s/f facility project

Mancini*Duffy, a leading architectural and interiors practice, is working with the Machete Group as architect of record for the Brooklyn Nets' new, 70,000 s/f training facility at 148 39th St. in Industry City, which will be named Hospital for Special Surgery Training Center. The firm, who previously designed the New York Mets executive and administrative offices at Citi Field and a new headquarters for NBC Sports Group, will be responsible for the adaptive reuse of the space. Plans for the new facility came about when the Nets' Basketball Operations Department decided to relocate from East Rutherford, N.J., a move that will bring more than 40 full-time jobs to the borough. The new training facility will feature a gym with weight training and cardio equipment, two full-sized basketball courts, a hydrotherapy and steam room, and a players' lounge. Other amenities will include a roof-top entertainment area, film and meeting rooms, and a full kitchen. An office area will include offices, a media interview and work room, and a "draft" room. As part of the scope of work, Mancini*Duffy is working with the design architect, MANICA, to transform the building's façade and roof area to accommodate the basketball courts. "Like many of its neighbors in Industry City, this building's been a manufacturing plant and warehouse since the early 1900s," said Eric Lahm, an associate at Mancini*Duffy. "The project gives our team an opportunity to update the use, construction, and aesthetics of this building while keeping it contextually appropriate to the historic Industry City complex. We're confident the end result will be an asset to the Nets and those who work in the team's offices." President Christian Giordano elaborated on what these and other projects mean to Mancini*Duffy. "HSS Training Center is just one of the notable adaptive re-use projects our firm has won lately. For example, the headquarters space we recently completed for NBC Sports used to be a Clairol factory. Right now, in Manhattan, we're working on the conversion of an apartment building at 17 John St. into an extended-stay hotel, and in New Jersey, a transformation of the historic Bell Labs into a modern mixed-use complex now known as Bell Works. These projects are especially satisfying because they provide value not just to our clients, but to the future as well: we're ensuring these great structures will stay useful for another hundred years."