From left: Bruce Ratner and a rendering of Atlantic Yards’ first residential towerFrom the January issue: The most remarkable thing — perhaps the only remarkable thing — about the recently released plans for a residential high-rise at Brooklyn’s much-debated Atlantic Yards site is not the design itself, but rather the manner in which the project will be built.

Conceived by SHoP Architects for Forest City Ratner, the building will be made up of prefabricated units constructed off-site and then assembled on the premises. The prefab component of construction should allow for considerable savings. [more]

Howard Hughes CEO David Weinreb and Pier 17

South Street Seaport leaseholder Howard Hughes Corp. unveiled plans to the local community board to replace the mall that currently sits on Pier 17 with a three-story glass retail building. According to the Tribeca Tribune, the community walked away impressed with the plan — but aware that a taller tower will likely follow.

“You can’t just be doing one building without knowing what your master plan is for the rest of the pier,” said John Fratta, chair of Community Board 1′s Seaport Committee. “I’m willing to bet there is going to be a high-rise in the future.” [more]

Renderings of the FIT building on 28th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues (source: SHoP Architects)

Budget cuts this summer have left a sleek glass tower proposed for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Chelsea campus in limbo, and now the school is hoping the project will be saved by a private donor.

According to the Architect’s Newspaper, the state awarded the State University of New York school located between Seventh and Eighth avenues at 27th and 28th streets, half of the $148 million needed to complete the SHoP Architects-designed project in 2003. (SHoP is also the firm behind the Barclays Center in Atlantic Yards.) The rest, it said, would need to come from local funding within 10 years. In 2006, the city contributed $2 million to the project, prompting the state to match it, so the architects could finalize the design. [more]

Atlantic Yards and Forest City CEO Bruce Ratner

Forest City Ratner has filed its first application with the Department
of Buildings for its planned construction of a residential tower at
Atlantic Yards, Brownstoner reported. The permit seeks to
build a 33-story, 368-unit tower at Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street,
right next to the  arena. Half of the building’s units will be
affordable housing. According to Brownstoner, it is not yet clear if
the tower, designed by SHoP architects, will be prefabricated. SHoP’s website does not yet show any renderings for the site. [Brownstoner]  [more]

Interior renderings of the Barclays Center (credit: SHoP Architects)

While basketball fans will be greeted by some of the best site lines of any American arena, from the looks of interior renderings of the forthcoming Barclays Center released yesterday by Nets officials, those who aren’t keen on the game will enjoy some impressive sites of their own, the New York Post reported.

The arena, set to open at the Atlantic Yards in September 2012, will feature a grand atrium, wide concourses with views of a practice court and several unique lounges and bars. [more]

An interior rendering of the Barclays Center and Bruce Ratner

Investors, city officials and developer Bruce Ratner, CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, came together today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Barclays Center at the Atlantic Yards development. The 18,000-seat arena, which will serve as the home of the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets, is expected to open in 2010. At the ceremony, Mayor Michael Bloomberg described the Barclays Center as “the first piece of what will be one of the largest private investments and job generators in Brooklyn’s history.” Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Governor David Paterson were equally effusive in their praise, describing the development as “a dream” and “a boon to Brooklyn,” respectively. The arena, which is being designed by the Ellerbe Becket and ShoP Architects firms, is also expected to host upwards of 200 events annually, including concerts and non-NBA basketball games. Clarification: these comments were released in advance of the ceremony and were the planned statements of the individuals quoted. TRD

The Nets basketball team released renderings of the new Barclays Center interior today, designed by Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects. The 18,000-seat arena in Downtown Brooklyn will also include luxury suites, currently available for sale. See slide show above for images.