Domino Square in Brooklyn plays key part in redevelopment of former historic sugar refinery
Michael Vahrenwald

Domino Square in Brooklyn plays key part in redevelopment of former historic sugar refinery

20 Jan 2025  •  News  •  By Gerard McGuickin

Studio Cadena, a Brooklyn-based design and architecture practice, recently completed Domino Square, a new and vibrant public space on Brooklyn’s historic waterfront. Described by Studio Cadena as a “layered hybrid of architecture, landscape, and infrastructure,” the project is a key part of the post-industrial redevelopment of the former 19th century Domino Sugar Refinery.

photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald
photo_credit Studio Cadena
Studio Cadena

Domino Square is set on a one-acre site and completes the larger Domino Campus (this includes the five-acre Domino Park, opened in 2018). The new square is adjacent to the Domino Sugar Refinery, built in 1882. (An adaptive reuse of the refinery was undertaken by PAU — the building’s brick facade now conceals a newly constructed 15-story glass office building.) Domino Square’s architecture shapes the site’s topography: it incorporates a public space that sits above retail units and conceals a water treatment facility at basement level.

photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald
photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald

The project has a combined 320 feet (100 meters) of street frontage and abuts three sides of the block. A sequence of differently sized cast-in-place concrete piers line the perimeter, creating a loggia that houses both retail spaces and entry points to the square. “This figural boundary acts as a filter between street and square, shaping an unmistakable urban form that marks the entry to the waterfront,” says Studio Cadena.

photo_credit Studio Cadena
Studio Cadena
photo_credit Studio Cadena
Studio Cadena
photo_credit Studio Cadena
Studio Cadena
photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald

The inclusion of a series of peaked roofs in the design of Domino Square stems from Studio Cadena’s interest in experimenting with a domestic scale. The square’s rising and falling formation presents a pleasing counterpoint to the larger towers of the surrounding Domino Campus — built on a human scale, the square is both inviting and practical.

The use of peaks in the design of Domino Square came from Colombian native Benjamin Cadena, Studio Cadena’s founder, and his experience of growing up in Colombia and the Andes Mountains.

photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald
photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald

Studio Cadena chose a material palette that is intentionally rugged and utilitarian in nature; this is a reflection of Domino Square’s proximity to the East River and the project’s need for added storm resilience. The large concrete piers vary in width from three to five feet and have been sandblasted, revealing the limestone aggregate and adding texture to the facade.

Continuing the project’s utilitarian nature and in a nod to the Domino Sugar site’s industrial heritage, smokestacks from the water treatment facility remain visible — these tubular ducts penetrate the building and appear as part of the landscaped square.

photo_credit Studio Cadena
Studio Cadena
photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald

The square’s public space slopes downwards from the roofs of the retail spaces, creating an outdoor “urban room”. The public space was designed in collaboration with landscape architect Field Operations and will host a range of activities and events, while taking advantage of views across the Manhattan skyline. The square’s tiered seating is surrounded by a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees and plant beds enclosed by Corten steel. In the south-west corner, more intimate seating nooks offer places for respite and relaxation.

photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald
photo_credit Michael Vahrenwald
Michael Vahrenwald

“Conceived as scaffolding for community activity, the project exemplifies the kind of multifunctional and resilient hybrid space that can enrich contemporary urban life,” says Studio Cadena.