Brooklyn, NY Rudin Development co-chairmen Bill Rudin and Eric Rudin, along with Boston Properties executive vice president New York region John Powers, were joined by 350 construction workers, public officials, local business leaders and community representatives to celebrate the topping out of Dock 72 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on   October 5th. The traditional ceremony commemorated the completion of the steel superstructure of Dock 72, which will be the first ground-up office tower to be built in the borough in more than three decades when it is completed in summer 2018. 

At the end of the ceremony, the final beam of steel, which had been signed by all the members of the Dock 72 team, was lifted 17 stories (250 ft.) to the upper most floor of the building.

Dock 72 is expected to bring 4,000 workers to the Brooklyn Navy Yard daily and serve as a modern hub for the rapidly emerging technology and creative industries in the borough. WeWork, which will occupy 222,000 s/f in the building, is serving as a co-developer and curator of the amenity spaces. 

The $410 million project will include 35,000 s/f of amenities, including a 13,000 s/f food hall with specialty food and beverage offerings, a 15,000 s/f health and wellness center, a lecture-style conference center accommodating up to 200 people, an outdoor basketball court, multiple lounges for meeting and socializing, an open lawn with table games, an on-site bike valet, parking and direct access to a new city-wide ferry stop.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bill Rudin said, “We would like to thank all of our partners, and in particular, the men and women who have really dedicated their lives over the last year to build this building.”

Rudin said, “This project is all about collaboration, starting with the City of New York: mayor Bill de Blasio, deputy mayor Alicia Glen, head of NYCEDC James Patchett and then our partners here at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, David Ehrenberg and his team – thank you for your belief in our vision. We would also like to thank our partner, Boston Properties, and our other partner, WeWork. It was really their vision and tenacity that put this deal together, so we would like to thank Adam Neumann, Miguel McKelvey and Roni Bahar. Thank you all for being here, and this is a very exciting day.”

Powers said, “You can have a great concept, a great idea, a great place and a great vision, but then you need people to make that vision into something more real,” thanking WeWork, Navid Maqami at S9 Architecture and other members of the project team during his speech. “The rest, as they say, is history. We are off to a great start. Both the Rudin organization and Boston Properties have worked hard, and will continue to work hard, to make this project a success.”

Dock 72 centers on the maritime and industrial history of the Yard and is designed to drive innovation and collaboration between tenants. Inspired by the forms of the ships that were once built here, the building’s design is supported by 20 sets of 42-ft. tall V-shaped columns of steel that lift the structure above the floodplain and out of harms way in the event of a future superstorm. The massing of the building steps down toward Wallabout Bay, creating over 18,000 s/f of terraces with views of the surrounding Navy Yard, Brooklyn, the East River, and Manhattan.

The project team for the development includes construction manager Gilbane Building Company; mechanical engineer Cosentini Associates; structural engineer Arup; design architect S9 Architecture; managing architect Perkins Eastman; interior design architect Fogarty Finger Architecture; and landscape architect MPFP. 

Dock 72 is one major component in the ongoing commercial renaissance at the Yard, which is quickly emerging as a national model for sustainable urban manufacturing. Building 77, a one million-square-foot property adjacent to Dock 72, is undergoing an extensive $185 million renovation by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC). The building will include a 60,000 square-foot public Food Manufacturing Hub on the ground floor to be anchored by Russ & Daughters, and companies like Lafayette 148 and Catbird occupying the remainder of the building. 

The Yard is also home to the Green Manufacturing Center, a state-of-the-art modern industrial facility including tenants such as New Lab, a design and technology center housing more than 50 start-ups; military gear manufacturer Crye Precision; coffee company Brooklyn Roasting Company; and soon-to-be joined by bean-to-bar producer Mast Chocolates. 

Other projects underway include the redevelopment of Admiral’s Row, a $140 million project that will be anchored by a 74,000 s/f Wegmans Supermarket, and the expansion of Steiner Studios, NYC’s largest and most successful film and television studio.