Perkins&Will Selected by NYCEDC to Design BATWorks at the Brooklyn Army Terminal

The Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) opened in 1918 and served as the largest military supply base in the U.S. through World War II. Today, BAT continues to impact New York’s working waterfront by serving as a nexus of modern industrial businesses and entrepreneurs. The 92-acre site encompasses two 8-story warehouses—Building A and Building B—three 2-story piers, several ancillary buildings, and a train storage yard.

The BATWorks Climate Innovation Hub will transform a proposed 200,000 square feet of Building A across multiple interior levels and an outdoor courtyard. When complete, these spaces will provide a wide range of start-ups—including emerging market innovators, small- and medium-sized companies, and growth-stage and commercialization-stage companies—with fit-for-purpose space to build products, rapidly prototype new technology, and carry out product research and development.

At the time it opened, the BAT was the world’s largest concrete building complex, as the existing structures were built from reinforced poured-in-place concrete. Given the embodied carbon of these century-old buildings, the reuse and transformation of the site will also greatly contribute to improving the project’s energy use intensity (EUI) and lifecycle carbon impact.

“Our approach to these types of projects celebrates the context of the building’s past, while creating new spaces that contribute to the growth of neighboring communities and the city,” says Robert Clemens, managing director of Perkins&Will’s New York studio. “BATWorks will transform the Brooklyn Army Terminal and bring a new economic engine to this historic location; Perkins&Will is proud to partner with NYCEDC, LACI, and CIC to design for the organizations that will drive innovation here.”

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About Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Interior Design named Perkins&Will a “Sustainability Giant” in 2024; Architizer named it the world’s “Best Sustainable Firm” in 2023; and Metropolis named it “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction.

With an international team of more than 2,500 professionals, Perkins&Will has over 30 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; McLennan Design; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). Perkins&Will is part of the Sidara Collaborative, a global network of leading designers, engineers, planners, and consultants.