Neighborhood Builders: Jed Walentas of Two Trees and Joshua Ramus of REX
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Join us for a special lecture by Jed Walentas, principal of Two Trees Management, and Joshua Ramos, principal of REX, as they discuss how architecture and development intersect to shape the Williamsburg waterfront. After its wildly successful transformation of DUMBO into one of the most vibrant and desirable neighborhoods in New York City, Two Trees shifted its focus on the next post-industrial Brooklyn waterfront prime for development—the area surrounding the landmark Domino Sugar Factory. Similar to DUMBO, the area sits at the base of a bridge, boasts stunning Manhattan views, and was prime for reinvention.
Two Trees set new standards for real estate developers with its creation of high-quality public spaces that represent its belief that "successful neighborhoods [must] offer a wide variety of uses and attract diverse groups of people." Its latest ambitious plan is the River Ring, a new waterfront district in North Williamsburg on a former ConEd site, which will include 1,000 units of housing (including 20% affordable units), a $100 million park that integrates remediation and resiliency strategies.
Learn more about the firm's collaborations with world-class design practices such as SHoP Architects, Annabelle Selldorf, PAU, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Field Operations, and REX. Walentas is joined by architect Joshua Ramos, principal of award-winning firm REX, whose work will join the fast-evolving Williamsburg skyline.
Jed Walentas is principal of Two Trees Management, one of New York's most innovative developers of vibrant, mixed-use communities. Under Jed's leadership, Two Trees has grown from its roots as the firm that helped make DUMBO a 24/7 destination to oversee a portfolio of more than 4 million square feet of commercial and residential real estate. Walentas has committed his life's work to making New York a better place to live, work, and visit to ensure the ongoing health of the city he calls home. He is an active philanthropist, supporting dozens of community organizations and leaders, educational and cultural institutions, and artists in Brooklyn and throughout New York City. In 2019, he launched The David Prize, named after his father, David Walentas, which gives $1 million per year to New York City's unrecognized entrepreneurs who are helping the city become a better, brighter place.
Joshua Ramus is founding principal of REX, an internationally acclaimed architecture and design firm based in New York City. Believing architecture should do things for its users and communities—not simply be a representational art—REX challenges and advances building paradigms and promotes the agency of architecture. REX's notable works include the Seattle Public Library, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas, the Vakko Fashion Center & Power Media Headquarters in Istanbul, and the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center in New York. Current projects include the Brown University Performing Arts Center in Providence and the Mercedes-Benz Future Lab & Museum in Stuttgart. Ramus has been Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at Yale University, Cullinan Visiting Professor at Rice University, and a visiting professor at Columbia University, Harvard GSD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Syracuse University.
