Domino Square, a 33,000-square-foot plaza designed by Field Operations and Studio Cadena, opened to the public this week in Brooklyn. The project was financed by Two Trees and serves as an extension to Domino Park, which opened in 2018 on the Williamsburg waterfront.
Studio Cadena, a Brooklyn office, designed the jagged building made of cast-in-place concrete piers that lines Domino Square, and Field Operations designed the exterior. Below the park is a water treatment facility. The loggias by Studio Cadena contain retail spaces, access points, and a gateway to the park by Field Operations.
Lisa Tzionia, a partner at Field Operations, described Domino Square as “an urban room that enriches the vibrancy and day-to-day life of Domino Park with welcoming, porous, and lush gardens along its edges and a central communal space that allows for expanded year-round programming.”
On the northern end of Domino Square is the Domino Sugar Refinery, recently completed by PAU. To the east, a residential block by SHoP Architects and, to the south, towers are underway designed by Selldorf Architects. Domino Square sits smack dab in the middle of the three high profile projects by Two Trees, not far from a new arts center on Kent Avenue by JAZ ARCHITECT.
The new space takes up a full city block. It is a component of Domino Park, a multi-year endeavor that transformed 6-acres of waterfront into pedestrian space. Domino Square will soon host large scale community activations like farmer’s markets, graduations for neighborhood schools, salsa nights, and an ice rink for winter-time skating.
The design team behind Domino Square said the goal was to create a “bowl-like” interior and as a result, Domino Square has lush planting beds and tiered seating that suggests a “theater-in-the-round” effect. The pedestrian flow was designed to encourage clear lines of sight and walkable connections between the Domino Sugar Refinery, and the Williamsburg Bridge.
“From the moment we bought Domino, we have been focused on creating one of the most highly utilized and diverse open spaces in all of Brooklyn,” said Jed Walentas, a principal at Two Trees.
