Domino Sugary Refinery

In 2017, PAU started the design for an adaptive reuse of the Refinery building, an industrial urban landmark constructed by Theodore A. Havemeyer, intended to be the crown jewel of the new mixed-use neighborhood master planned by PAU founder Vishaan Chakrabarti, complete with an activated mix of creative office space, market-rate and affordable housing, neighborhood retail, and community facilities.

PAU was tasked with creating open architecture that seamlessly connects the existing neighborhood to the recaptured waterfront a quarter-mile long. The result is a state-of the-art, 425,000-square-foot workspace housed within a beautiful, idiosyncratic urban artifact that is unique to post-industrial Williamsburg, offering a singular experience for its inhabitants and the larger community alike.

The transformation of the Refinery entailed three major design moves: inserting a contemporary building in the sleeve of the historic structure, similar to the machinery it once housed; creating a glass barrel vault form that pays homage to the American round-arch style of the original; and opening the ground floor to the park and the surrounding Williamsburg neighborhood.

This approach has created an iconic landmark for the 21st century, offering users natural light, luscious greenery, waterfront views, and a contemporary dialogue with history that most new commercial projects lack. Although conceived before the pandemic, the Refinery represents a future of work that offers a unique rootedness in place and community that is invaluable going forward.