New 11-storey boutique hotel in Brooklyn with a facade comprising materials, including corten steel, that reflect the industrial heritage of the surrounding area.
The Williamsburg Hotel represents a significant addition to Brooklyn, with 150 guest rooms spread over 11 storeys, a rooftop pool and an exclusive bar contained within a water tower. The building’s design pays homage to the borough’s industrial history, using a palette of materials including concrete, brick and corten steel.
Eckersley O’Callaghan engineered the hotel’s facade. Integrating the corten components on elevations consisting of high performance window walls provided the project’s main challenge. The glazing boasts state-of-the-art, thermally broken, aluminium and low-e glass.
We designed pre-weathered folded plate banding elements, detailed for easy installation on clips bolted back to slab embeds and locked together to form a deceptively simple-looking rusty steel enhancement to the facades. These were designed to be prefabricated and pre-weathered in an adjacent facility.
Pre-weathering of the corten, together with detailing of the components to divert water away from the facade, minimises the possibility of rust-infused water affecting the glazing.
