Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2006

BY MACK THAM

The submissions are in and the winners have been chosen for the 2006 Building Brooklyn Awards. This year’s celebration of Brooklyn’s newest architecture will take place July 18 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The Building Brooklyn Awards (BBA) recognizes two individuals (one from the public sector and the other from the private sector), and various new construction and renovation projects that have made significant, positive contributions to the economic and community development of Brooklyn and the borough’s quality of life.  The BBA salutes a wide range of project types, budgets and neighborhoods.  By presenting them at a special event hosted at the Brooklyn Museum, the Chamber spotlights important design and construction achievements in Brooklyn.

“This year’s Building Brooklyn Awards judging process was the best to date. The quantity and quality of submissions has improved to the point that we are now able to consider work that fits the Chamber’s criteria of one, design quality, two, contribution to the borough, and three economic impact,” said Brendan Coburn one of this year’s judges and a partner at Coburn Architecture. “This year's winners include many well designed buildings that take into equal account the borough’s rich history of quality design and construction, and begin to fill holes in our urban fabric that go a long way towards improving the quality of life in Brooklyn. It was also nice to see the continued emergence of Brooklyn as a Regional Design Center."

There are 14 winning projects this year: The Jewish Children’s Museum, Rheingold Gardens Partnership Homes, Dodge YMCA, Higgins Hall – Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Downstate Advance Biotechnology Incubator, Waterfront Media, Inc, Marion & Hopkinson Playground Reconstruction, United States Courthouse, Slot House, De Kalb Avenue Apartments, Studio 322 Condominium, Almandine Bakery, United States Post Office and Courthouse, and Brooklyn Academy of Music – Exterior Restoration.

For the first time ever there will be an award for a Brownfield redevelopment project. The winner in that category is Rheingold Gardens Partnership Homes located in Bushwick. The project cost $22 million and replaced abandoned lots with 57 two-family units, four three-family units and condominium homes.

This year’s special guest will be Daniel L. Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding of the City of New York. In addition to the 14 winning projects the Chamber will honor Regina Myer, Director, Brooklyn Office, New York City Department of City Planning, and Douglas Steiner, Principal, Steiner Equities Group, LLC. 

BBA is the biggest event showcasing Brooklyn real estate and development projects. !n years past the BBA ceremony and cocktail reception attracted more than 350 attendees many of whom are real estate professionals as well as professionals in the fields of banking & finance, architecture & design, small business development, construction, government and other related industries. 

This year’s event will feature a limited number of trade tables so companies can promote their products and services. For more information about the 2006 Building Brooklyn Awards, please visit the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's Web site at http://www.ibrooklyn.com/site/chamberdirect/bba, or call Mack Tham at 718-875-1000 ext. 142.