Domino Square Building | Studio Cadena

Domino Square is a layered hybrid of architecture, landscape and infrastructure. It establishes a vibrant public space at the heart of Brooklyn’s waterfront.

The one-acre site is a civic amenity anchoring the post-industrial redevelopment of the former Domino Sugar refinery. The architecture shapes the topography of the park above, creating a central public square at its center while concealing a water treatment facility for the community in its basement below. At street level, the building defines a porous edge, with piers of varying sizes lining three sides of the block to form a loggia that houses retail spaces and entry points to the park. This figural boundary acts as a filter between street and square, shaping an unmistakable urban form that marks the entry to the waterfront. The colonnade offers a soft, permeable edge, inviting the public in while providing a sense of enclosure and intimacy within the outdoor civic space.

Conceived as scaffolding for community activity, the project exemplifies the kind of multifunctional and resilient hybrid space that can enrich contemporary urban life. Designed in collaboration with Field Operations as landscape architect, it has recently opened to the public.

Architecture firm: Studio Cadena

Landscape Architect: Field Operations

Photography: Michael Vahrenwald, Daniel Levin, Studio Cadena