Jonathan Marvel, MARVEL

One Clinton falls on something of a horizon line, where the brownstone-Brooklyn of old fades through the grand civic buildings along Cadman Plaza into a modern skyline that didn’t exist a decade ago. How did your team create the context to bridge those worlds?

The two teams worked at different stages and on different parts of the process, with Marvel as both the project architect and architect of record, which involved planning and programming the overall library, designating specific areas, overseeing light and circulation strategy. As the project’s design architect, Gensler focused on the overall interior and specifying fixtures and furnishings.

In addition to conceiving some Brooklyn’s more recognizable contemporary structures, like the carbon-neutral 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, architect Jonathan Marvel has helped resurrect some of the borough’s most iconic historic edifices, like DUMBO’s St. Ann’s Warehouse and the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights. We chatted with the AIA fellow about his recent work at One Clinton, the 38-story residential tower atop the new Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, and what guides his process.

The 1962 Francis Keally structure on the site, of course, came about during an era of great change for the neighborhood, some of which prompted the landmarking of Brooklyn Heights three years later. What kind of change does this project signify?

One Clinton is a unique building, not unlike its 1962 predecessor, which straddled modernism and postmodernism. The biggest change this building represents stylistically is a movement towards minimalism and an excitement over materials and pure geometry. To have a mixed-use development that supports a public library, high-rise residential units, coffee shops and a school relies on strong programming that sets each component apart and clearly defines use. Through its use of materials and design, tenants, visitors, and passersby are able to interact with the building and experience it in specific moments in time. This is particularly visible in the façade, particularly where the materials in the tower change from limestone on the east and west sides to a metal panel that faces south, almost like there are hard masonry light-colored limestone walls that bounce off the sunrise and sunset. These lie in contrast to the south face, which is a dark metal panel — almost the inner layer of a sandwich.

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"I think there’s a real opportunity to create something beautiful, and this is an example of a real need for an amenity in a residential building—not just having more amenities but having appropriate amenities."

This is really a great question regarding city planning and zoning, allowing for tall buildings along the Cadman Plaza corridor and even taller buildings in downtown Brooklyn. The creation of a historic district, which limits construction in Brooklyn Heights up to 50 feet, is a blessing for maintaining a low skyline west of Cadman Plaza. We responded by developing a contemporary 38-story residential tower and a five-story townhouse type of architecture that faces the historic district but isn’t located within it. In our design, we are giving life to the neighborhood by allowing citizens to interact with the building as a contemporary urban design response to these physical dynamics.

You also designed, with Gensler, the new library branch itself, which occupies the building’s ground floor. Walk us through the role that played as the vision came together and how it impacted the overall project.

For the new library, Marvel and Gensler carefully considered the factors critical to defining a modern community center, crafting a series of a serious of intentional spaces for social gathering and individual concentration alike. Photo by Gregg Richards, courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library.

What are some of the considerations in building a library in the 21st century? How have their layouts shifted, both as repositories and community spaces, in our digital-forward present?

You raise a great point for thought: What makes a space today different than those previous? The main difference is our need to come together, to celebrate community and collaboration. Tall ceilings and natural light in the main reading room are a given in public spaces, but the nooks and crannies are where people like to interact. In response, sprinkled throughout the library are myriad areas that allow visitors to gather, mingle or work individually but still be part of a group — similar to a college campus. A place that encourages that special chemistry of friendship and interaction.

Tell us the aspect of this project that personally challenged (or surprised) you most.

The extraordinary site condition that pushes this design into a higher level is its triangular nature. Called the Flatiron effect, in reference to Daniel Burnham’s building on East 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue, the architecture similarly takes a triangular site and develops a building uniquely inspired by oblong views. Looking at the building not directly straight on, but from a raking view, subtleties emerge with the horizontal lines creating a different visual effect from the vertical lines. The horizontals stand out and the verticals disappear, so layers of horizontals are stacked on top of one another at different heights results in a scaling rhythm, bringing the building closer to the pedestrian and giving the façade a playful canvas of unexpected variety.

One Clinton's last remaining penthouse boasts soaring ceilings and double-height windows that beckon views across the city. Photo courtesy of The Cornell Marshall Team at Corcoran.

“What makes a space today different than those previous? The main difference is our need to come together, to celebrate community and collaboration.”

St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO, the adaptive reuse of an old spice factory-turned-vibrant performing arts venue, is among Marvel's most iconic Brooklyn projects. Photo by David Sundberg.

One Clinton, a new 38-story tower developed by the Hudson Companies at the southwest edge of Cadman Plaza, boasts 130+ sleek condominium residences and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at its base. Marvel designed the latter, which replaces its 1962 predecessor, in collaboration with Gensler. Rendering by Brooklyn Foundry, courtesy of Corcoran New Development.

ABOVE: Marvel poses at 7 Lispenard, his recently-opened Tribeca storefront that hosts regular programming for the design community and general public interest. Photo by Tim Gersten.