Duggal Greenhouse Gears Up for LEED Platinum at Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 268

Last week, Brownstoner picked up on an article in the Daily News noting construction progress on the Duggal Greenhouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We wrote about the project here at gbNYC over two years ago when it first broke ground. Now, designed by architect Gregory Okshteyn of Studios OS, the $7 million project is in full swing and will convert Building 268 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard into a state-of-the-art, LEED Platinum R&D facility where Duggal will test and manufacture a variety of green products and building systems.

The project will expand a former metal foundry that’s larger than a football field into a 2-story, 69,000-square-foot waterfront space with rooftop solar panels and a graywater system. Duggal’s green efforts have already made a splash at the Navy Yard; the company has manufactured and installed 90 wind- and solar-powered streetlights, which should save the Navy Yard close to $11,000 in annual energy costs. The Greenhouse will also serve as a green technology training center and also feature classroom, office, event, and gallery space; its 8 garage doors – which measure 20′ x 20′ – will open up to views of the Manhattan skyline across the East River.

Tenants at the Navy Yard, which over the past decade has been transitioning into a full-fledged mixed-use destination under the direction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, pay approximately $15 per square foot for space. According to BNYDC, 30 acres of space on the Fort Greene side of the Yard are still slated for redevelopment.

Construction on the Greenhouse is being funded by Duggal and the city, which is providing $2 million for improvements to Building 268′s existing roof and sprinkler systems. The project is on track for a January 2012 completion.