New lab At Brooklyn Navy Yard
Name of Building
New lab At Brooklyn Navy Yard
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York
Date the building was designed and/or first built
The building was completed in 2016 and began operations in the fall of that year. The project involved repurposing the historic 1899 hangar into a modern research and manufacturing center, according to ArchDaily and Urban Design Forum.
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
The lab was founded by David Belt and Scott Cohen. They co-founded the tech hub in June 2016.
Conceptual and Interior Design: Macro Sea.
construction managed by DBI Projects.
Conceptual and Interior Design: Macro Sea.
construction managed by DBI Projects.
Culturally Specific Time Period
The old building that houses New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was built during the late 19th to early 20th century era, as Building 128 was originally constructed in 1899
Geo-Location
40.69899747850495, -73.97436231956607
Materials
Steel and Glass
Size and/or Scale of Building
The New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard has a total interior space of 84,000 square feet within a historic 161,000-square-foot building, which features a 70-foot-tall main space with new mezzanines and bridges that create a second level. The new buildouts, including the second level and connecting bridges, add 32,000 square feet to the original layout.
Architectural Type
Commercial
Formal Style
High-Tech Modernism, a style that pays homage to the building's industrial past while creating a modern, collaborative workspace.
Building Description
In the mid-2010s, developer Macro Sea and Marvel Architects undertook an ambitious restoration: they stripped the exterior back to its original steel frame and reclad it with insulated metal panels and historically accurate windows, restoring the building’s industrial character while improving performance and resilience. Inside, New Lab’s design leverages the building’s generous 70-foot-high roof structure and its original steel trusses and overhead gantry cranes, which remain visually exposed as a kind of “cathedral” structure. A long central circulation spine runs the full 350-foot length of the hall, with daylight filtering in from clerestory windows above and perimeter glazing. New mezzanines were inserted on both sides, suspended from the existing gantries, linked by grated steel catwalks, and supported by some 370 tons of new steel. The mezzanine accommodates private offices, studios, meeting rooms, and event spaces; below, on the ground floor, are open work areas, a fabrication lab (with wood and metal shops), 3D-printing facilities, communal gathering plazas, and lounge areas that encourage collaboration.
Names(s) and location(s) of the museum holding the object(s)
The New Lab building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was originally a U.S. Navy machine shop built in 1899 and 1902 for shipbuilding and manufacturing warships. It was later converted into a high-tech design and prototyping center for advanced technologies and innovation.
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1 Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Justin Forster
Bibliographic references for the item
Source 1
Caballero, P. (2024) New Lab, Research and Manufacturing Center / Marvel Architects. https://www.archdaily.com/922614/new-lab-marvel-architects.
Source 2
https://medium.com/ruki-founder-s-journal/newlab-cab35fee1172
Source 3
NewLab | Brooklyn | Venture platform for critical technology (no date). https://www.newlab.com/locations/brooklyn#:~:text=Newlab%20Brooklyn%20is%20an%2084%2C000%20square%20foot,*%20**Community%20events**%20*%20**Global%20digital%20platform**.
Source 4
https://www.archpaper.com/2017/10/archtober-building-of-the-day-12-new-lab-brooklyn-navy-yard/?
Caballero, P. (2024) New Lab, Research and Manufacturing Center / Marvel Architects. https://www.archdaily.com/922614/new-lab-marvel-architects.
Source 2
https://medium.com/ruki-founder-s-journal/newlab-cab35fee1172
Source 3
NewLab | Brooklyn | Venture platform for critical technology (no date). https://www.newlab.com/locations/brooklyn#:~:text=Newlab%20Brooklyn%20is%20an%2084%2C000%20square%20foot,*%20**Community%20events**%20*%20**Global%20digital%20platform**.
Source 4
https://www.archpaper.com/2017/10/archtober-building-of-the-day-12-new-lab-brooklyn-navy-yard/?
Citation
The lab was founded by David Belt and Scott Cohen. They co-founded the tech hub in June 2016.
Conceptual and Interior Design: Macro Sea.
construction managed by DBI Projects., “New lab At Brooklyn Navy Yard,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/127.
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