Located in Brooklyn’s landmarked Dumbo neighbourhood, 29 Jay Street is an addition to a district defined by industrial heritage, narrow streets, and strong visual connections to the waterfront and surrounding bridges. Rising 11 storeys and spanning 225,000 square feet, it is the first new ground-up commercial building in the area in more than a century. Its sustainability agenda is expressed through a combination of contextual design, environmental performance, and a workplace model centred on occupant wellbeing.
Rather than treating new construction as a break from its surroundings, the project draws from the material and structural character of the neighbourhood. References to the adjacent Gair Buildings and the cross-bracing of the Manhattan Bridge inform the architectural language, allowing the building to sit within Dumbo’s historic fabric while clearly belonging to the present.
Context, density, and façade performance
The building’s sculptural façade is formed from lightweight glass fibre-reinforced concrete (GFRC), whose faceted surfaces respond to the oblique views typical of Dumbo’s streets. This cladding contributes texture and depth to the streetscape while reducing weight compared to more conventional precast concrete systems. Its warm tone and muscular bay rhythm align with the neighbourhood’s material character, while forest green metal windows and details reinforce this connection to place.
The design responds closely to the district’s urban morphology. Dumbo’s narrow streets, continuous street walls, and framed views toward Brooklyn Bridge Park, Manhattan, and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges are treated as active design conditions. The result is a building that strengthens the existing visual and spatial grain of the neighbourhood rather than disrupting it.
Daylight, views, and workplace quality
A core sustainability feature of 29 Jay Street is its focus on environmental quality for occupants. Extra-large operable windows bring daylight deep into the floor plates while supporting natural ventilation and greater user control over indoor conditions. The building’s side-core floor plates further maximise access to light and outward views, improving the work environment across the office levels.
This emphasis on daylight and visual connection is paired with an amenity strategy. Tenants have access to wellness-oriented features, including a landscaped and programmed roof deck, which extends the workplace beyond enclosed interiors and provides access to outdoor space within a dense urban setting. Together, these strategies support comfort, health, and long-term user satisfaction.
Healthy and holistic sustainability
The project was conceived as Dumbo’s first Class A office building targeting both LEED Gold and WELL v2 certifications. This dual ambition is notable: LEED addresses environmental performance across systems such as energy, water, and materials, while WELL places greater emphasis on the health and wellbeing of building users. In combination, they position the building as both environmentally responsible and socially responsive.
