May 5, 2016$380 million project will support the rapidly emerging technology and creative industries in Brooklyn With 4,000 living wage jobs, Dock 72 is key piece of de Blasio administration plan to double employment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by 2020 NEW YORK––The de Blasio administration and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation joined partners Rudin Development, Boston Properties, Inc. and WeWork to break ground at Dock 72 today, marking a major milestone in the 200-year history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The transformative, 675,000 square-foot building will bring $380 million in private investment and 4,000 living wage jobs to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Dock 72 will serve the rapidly emerging technology and creative industries in Brooklyn, and the project will be one of the largest New York City commercial buildings to be constructed outside of Manhattan in decades."We are, quite literally, doubling down on good jobs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The 4,000 living wage jobs at Dock 72 are a key part of that commitment. This project is going to help bring ideas, innovators and start-ups to the yard, where they can scale up their businesses, hire more New Yorkers and manufacture their products right here in Brooklyn," said Mayor Bill de Blasio."The Brooklyn Navy Yard has transitioned from its days as a naval shipbuilding facility to what we see here today: an anchor for continued economic development in North Brooklyn that houses some of the City""s most cutting edge companies," said Speaker Melissa Mark-Vivierito. "The Navy Yard has done a great job of attracting and nurturing these companies and with this latest groundbreaking on Dock 72, it will continue to build on that philosophy and provide living wage jobs to workers and residents living around the area. I would like to thank the Administration and our partners for creating job opportunities in the tech and creative sector.""The Brooklyn Navy Yard has always signified the strength and hard work of New Yorkers and its modernization into a hub for small businesses is evolutionary. WeWork""s business structure creates a business community that well complements the savviness, innovation and entrepreneurism of Brooklynites. Brooklyn welcomes WeWork to its new center for innovation - Dock 72," said Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr."This project is an exciting combination of innovation, effective public-private partnerships and a commitment to simply get things done. I look forward to seeing an influx of small businesses and well-paying jobs that will reinvigorate Brooklyn""s entrepreneurial spirit," said Council Member Stephen Levin.Combined with other major investments by the de Blasio administration, employment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard is poised to double by 2020 to more than 16,000 good-paying jobs.Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen; Rudin Development""s Partners Eric, Bill, Samantha and Michael Rudin; Boston Properties CEO Owen Thomas; WeWork co-founders Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey; and Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation Chair Hank Gutman and President and CEO David Ehrenberg celebrated the groundbreaking at a ceremony today at the Brooklyn Grange."We are very excited to commence construction of our Dock 72 project with our joint venture partner, Boston Properties and our lead tenant WeWork," said Michael Rudin, Vice President of Rudin Management. "We are developing this building to be the place where companies and talent want to be, and where new ideas and innovation take shape. Because of New York""s continued diversification and the trend of companies wanting to locate near their employees, we believe Dock 72 will bring a very unique product to the market that caters to the city""s expanding creative class.""When complete and operational in approximately two years, Dock 72 will be the market leader in innovation in design," said John Powers, Executive Vice President of Boston Properties"" New York Region, "Dock 72""s unique dual core layout, 35,000 square feet of amenities, 18,000 square feet of private outdoor terraces and numerous opportunities for our various tenants to collaborate is a result of the exceptional partnership and creativity between the development team and our anchor tenant. We look forward to welcoming new tenants into the Dock 72 community.""WeWork is proud to be the anchor tenant of the landmark redevelopment project of Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A redevelopment project of this size and scale is a testament to the vision of our co-developers and of New York City to reinvent, reuse and revitalize this historically significant place" said Miguel McKelvey, co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of WeWork. "This project will be a model for other cities the world over to demonstrate how WeWork can bring together the right public and private partners to rejuvenate local businesses, attract new businesses to the area and expand our global community of members.""Today""s groundbreaking is an important step in the Yard""s evolution as a modern industrial ecosystem and in bringing 4,000 living-wage jobs to Brooklyn. Dock 72 will be a place where technology, design and manufacturing converge and the shared work space will nurture hundreds of small businesses and spark the next generation of large-scale employers in the Yard," said BNYDC President and CEO David Ehrenberg. "Furthermore, this type of large, private-sector investment signals a watershed moment in the growth of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Thanks to this vote of confidence from respected investors and developers and this partnership with WeWork, BNYDC will be able to attract additional top creative and industrial firms that will create thousands of jobs for local residents.""This building will be a boon to the modern, industrial ecosystems of both Brooklyn and the entire City, as it supports 4,000 new jobs and the growth of small businesses," said BNYDC Chair Hank Gutman. "This is another important milestone in the growth of the Navy Yard.""The primary program objective for Dock72 is the development of a 21st century work environment that encourages and enables new and maturing creative startups to flourish," said Navid Maqami, Founding Principal of S9 Architecture. "Unlike their predecessors, these new work environments are open and flexible, designed to encourage the interaction of people and foster the sharing of ideas and the formation of communities. Our design began with a gridded loft-like slab, which we then carved, creating steps down to the water that function as terraces with views of Manhattan. The grid is interrupted by "ant farm" like shapes, suggesting the communal spaces and activities within. V-shaped columns lift the ship-shaped underbelly of the structure above the floodplain and form entrances at both ends."Construction of the 16-story building began in 2016, with an anticipated tenant delivery in late 2017. In addition, the project will seek LEED certification. The site is centrally located within the Yard on a 60,000-square-foot strip of land jutting out into the East River between two active dry-docks, offering panoramic views of the City and the activity of the Navy Yard. The building design created by S9 Architecture celebrates the surrounding maritime and industrial history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and is designed to drive innovation and collaboration between tenants. The building will feature floor plates from 40,000 to 60,000 square feet, offering contiguous and easily devisable blocks of space for a variety of tenant sizes.The construction of Dock 72 is part of the de Blasio administration""s efforts to support the growth of good-paying, modern industrial jobs. With this project, the Navy Yard now has over $700 million of construction activity underway or in the planning stages, with employment expected to more than double in the next few years, jumping from 7,000 to 16,000 by 2020. The Yard is also undergoing the creation and reactivation of over two million square feet of new space for manufacturers, creative, technology and other industrial companies across the 300 acre modern industrial park.According to the agreement between the development team and BNYDC, all tenants in the building will pay a living wage to their employees, making it the first new development in Brooklyn with such a commitment. To ensure local residents benefit from the opportunities to be created, tenants will partner with the Brooklyn Navy Yard Employment Center to match nearby residents with job opportunities. BNYDC and the developers have also agreed to significantly expand BNYDC""s existing internship program. The developers will set aggressive goals for MWBE construction hiring and contracting.WeWork is anchoring the new building with a 222,000-square-foot lease, significantly reinforcing the Brooklyn Navy Yard as one of the largest concentrations of small and start-up businesses in the region. Highlights of the building""s 35,000-square-foot amenity package curated by WeWork include a health and wellness center, specialty food and beverage offerings and a rooftop conference center."Brooklyn has become the epicenter of the innovation economy. The Navy Yard tech hub is a welcome addition to the host of incubators and startups that call Brooklyn home," said Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, "I look forward to continuing the fight to bring more cutting-edge technology firms to my district and ensuring that people of color have a seat at the table.""Four thousand good jobs, with an expanded tech focus, is the kind of fantastic innovation that makes the Brooklyn Navy Yard so great," said State Senator Daniel Squadron. "The Navy Yard and their partners continue to hit it out of the park as a local jobs hub and economic development center. Dock 72 is an exciting new addition, and means even more ways to build even more jobs and expand our Tech Triangle. I thank the Mayor and City, David Ehrenberg and BNYDC for their continued work at the Navy Yard."Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol said, "I am thrilled that once again the Brooklyn Navy Yard emerges to provide needed opportunities for New York""s growing creative economies. This project helps the High Tech industry to thrive in Brooklyn. New York""s economy relies on creative technologies. Brooklyn, specifically the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has been at the forefront of responding to this industry""s needs. This new space also enhances the quality of life for my constituents who want to live in a borough where they can easily and safely walk to work – spending more time with their families and less time on the commute.""Brooklyn is one of America""s best new tech hubs – with the Brooklyn Navy Yard right at the heart of it – and Dock 72 will be a milestone development for the future of our borough. Not only will this project bring almost $400 million in investment to Brooklyn, but it will create 4,000 good paying jobs, and improve the lives of countless area residents. Congratulations to Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation and the teams from Rudin Development and Boston Properties," said Carlo A. Scissura, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce."The Brooklyn Navy Yard""s revitalization has been nothing short of astonishing and it is now a vital component of Brooklyn""s innovation economy," said Tucker Reed, President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. "This development will not only add much needed space allowing local firms to grow and stay in the area, but it furthers the Yard""s position as a key pillar of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.""Dock 72 gives Brooklyn the chance to harness the incredible potential for job growth in companies operating at the intersection of tech, design and manufacturing. These fields are already at the heart of the borough""s fast-growing innovation economy, but this project provides the sorely needed space for scores of entrepreneurial enterprises to incubate and grow," said Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director at the Center for an Urban Future."The Brooklyn (Kings County) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce once again applauds the efforts of the Mayor""s office to enhance opportunities at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The proposed 4,000 jobs and emerging technology project with creative industries brings Brooklyn to yet another step towards a successful economic path. We look forward to this massive endeavor/progress and it""s results by 2020," Said Rick Miranda, President and CEO of the Brooklyn (Kings County) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce."I am excited for the launch of the new technology space that will be located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. I have seen this space transform over the past 15 years helping to build stability, create jobs and become one of the most successful industrial parks in New York City. I applaud Mayor Bill de Blasio, the President and Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard for their leadership and staying with the mission and vision for the success of the new tech hub. It will help entrepreneurs by providing affordable space, manufacturing equipment and sustainability to small businesses," said Dr. Roy Hastick, Founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (CACCI)."The Mayor teaming up with the Brooklyn Navy Yard to create more jobs in Brooklyn sounds like a great thing. We look forward to the people in our community taking advantage of those Job opportunities," said Nadine Whitted, District Manager of Brooklyn Community Board 4."Digital Girl, Inc. is extremely excited about the development of Dock 72 and the opportunities of having a tech hub in Brooklyn will bring, particularly for women in Technology! Currently, only 25 percent of tech professionals are women and only 9 pecent are minorities. Women who work in technology on average make about 33 percent more than women in a non-technical fields. When you consider that empowering young women in low income communities is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, you can envision the impact Dock 72 can have on the communities surrounding the Brooklyn Navy Yard," said Michelle Gall, Executive Director at Digital Girl, Inc."This initiative that is being sponsored by Mayor de Blasio and The Brooklyn Navy Yard is going to be one of the greatest elements of the Brooklyn renaissance and will be a revitalization of this great borough as a corner stone in the technological industry. This project will inspire a new breed of tech savvy thinkers and game changers that will send a resounding statement that Silicone Valley is not the only place in our great country that has brilliant technological minds…Brooklyn is on the rise," said Horace Michael, Senior Pastor of Beulah Tabernacle and Technical Account Manager."The Brooklyn Navy Yard Dock 72 Tech & Innovation Hub is going to give New York City a major boost in becoming an international Information Technology Center while creating thousands of well paying jobs not only in IT but also in the construction industry. We are particularly impressed that this Administration is geared toward creating economic growth and progress in the outer boroughs which in this case is Brooklyn. This project is slated to provide unprecedented construction contract procurement opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses which will surely have an impact on bettering the lives of Brooklynites and other New Yorkers," said Peter Fontanes, The Fontanes Group, Chair Emeritus. National Hispanic Construction Association and New York Hispanics in Real Estate and Construction Association.For more information, please visit http://dock72.com/