Brewery Loft: A Living Mechanism for Site Remediation

The main objective of this project is to perceive the canal-adjacent site as a living mechanism that through the process of brewery production and soil remediation, it creates productive grounds for social and environmental formation over time.

The former industrial zone around Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal has experienced a boom of interest and development, however, many areas within are hampered by both environmental and bureaucratic issues. To respond to the site's two major environmental issues, water contamination, and flooding, the proposal uses phyto-technology and brewery by-products to degrade contaminants within the groundwater plume. The craft brewery is developed into a cantilevered building with a courtyard to minimize the foundation and construction footprint. The courtyard is a beer garden with natural ventilation and shading. Pedestrian access and beer tasting space are located on the lifted catwalk, while the ground itself is transformed into a floodplain of different plant species that filter and slow down the water flow, removing excess sediment and nutrients. The design is proposed through stages of a 20-year remediation and construction process.