(l-r) One Willoughby Square circa winter 2021 via CityRealty; renderings via DBOX
After months of working on a new building, architects tend to move on upon completion. However, that is not the case for FXCollaborative and One Willoughby Square: Construction is winding down on the 34-story, 540-foot-high office tower, the first new office tower to take shape in Downtown Brooklyn since a 2004 rezoning, and the architect is getting ready to take three floors of office space in the new tower. Senior partner Dan Kaplan told the New York Post that his firm joked about putting themselves in the mind of a tenant when designing One Willoughby Square, but this soon became a serious discussion. When One Willoughby Square opens later this year, FXCollaborative will move from its current space in Chelsea.
Like all offices in the building, FXCollaborative’s space will be distinguished by column-free space and high ceilings. Both the interiors and the private terrace will look out on jaw-dropping views spanning from New York Harbor to Prospect Park. Additionally, unique to the building will be four “superfloors” that have 18-foot-high ceilings and accompanying terraces or loggias. All tenants will enter through a “no-contact lobby."
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The firm says, “The design is a contemporary take on the famed New York industrial loft with gridded, oversized windows, distinctive glazed brick spandrels, and exposed concrete structure.” Its restrained and somewhat retro appearance is accented with gridded windows and navy-blue brick spandrels that are said to pay homage to architect Ralph Walker’s nearby Belltel Lofts building. In a 2017 interview about the project with the New York Post, Mr. Kaplan said, “We wanted to create something with shadow and texture but had a reference to the grit of historical Brooklyn.” LEED Silver certification is anticipated.
FXCollaborative is the only office tenant signed so far, but the news comes at a time when the office market is picking up again after last year, if Manhattan is anything to go on: According to a report in Crain’s New York Business, the number of new requests per week from companies seeking office space jumped 57% this year, compared to the average from July and November. A glut of available space has driven prices down, and some companies are looking to take advantage.
In addition to bringing new office space to the neighborhood, One Willoughby Square will offer new retail space as well as a 300-seat public school occupying the first six floors. It will open up directly to Willoughby Square Park, and is located across the street from the City Point shopping, dining, and entertainment center. It is also surrounded by nine subway lines within a four-block radius, which FXCollaborative cited as a key factor in its decision to move to the tower. However, developer JEMB Realty was inspired by the surrounding luxury condos that have taken shape in the midst of Downtown Brooklyn’s building boom. “We decided we’d go full office catering to the same people, this large-scale talent pool, living nearby,” said Jacob Jerome, Principal of JEMB Realty.
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