WXY was commissioned by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to play a role in continuing the legacy of the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) and Bush Terminal as engines for industrial innovation and long-term growth of businesses and quality jobs in New York City. 

The BAT and Bush Terminal are part of a larger story of renewal—they are just two of the multiple industrial campuses within the Sunset Park District, all assets held by NYCEDC in south Brooklyn.

WXY evaluated a comprehensive repositioning of Bush Terminal and developed a master plan and phasing strategies for both the collection of industrial campuses and for the Sunset Park District as a whole.

The public improvements that were evaluated included: district-level public realm improvements (landscape, open space, pedestrian access and circulation, and programmatic activation); a market-based analysis to better understand tenanting and redevelopment options; vehicle (personal and business) circulation improvements; and parking recommendations.

The studies were accompanied by design and engineering considerations such as constructability, cost, maintenance and operations, and payback period to ensure that this planning process leads to directly implementable options and shovel-ready projects.

Throughout the new public realm, landscaping, lighting, furniture, environmental graphics, and signage have been deployed to establish a spatial and visual identity that draws from the campus’ industrial legacy as a place of movement, utility and clarity.

Brightly-colored signage and striping codes space for pedestrians, cars and trucks, working in conjunction with a new site-wide graphic identity to help people navigate the 97-acre campus and understand it as part of a larger public workplace district.

New adaptations of traffic calming help establish the campus as a public place: ovoid speed bumps are reinterpreted to separate trucks from pedestrians, lining the edge of the new ‘Annex Plaza’.

A former traffic circle is reclaimed as a series of monumental circular wood tree decks for sitting and lounging near the new ferry stop, anchoring the new waterfront plaza.

Custom-designed furniture interspersed throughout the open space gives tenants and the public places use to eat, relax, take in the magnificent views.

The new public realm enhances the experience and utility of BAT’s exterior spaces, repositioning it as a truly public-facing campus while increasing its efficiency and viability as a thriving manufacturing hub.

The project anchors the campus’ transformation into an engine of 21st century industrial innovation, and signals NYC’s commitment to equitable, inclusive urban growth. These analyses will ensure that the BAT and Bush Terminal campuses will continue to serve as incubators for industrial and manufacturing job growth for years to come.