Since founding her eponymous Mexico City–based studio in 2006, Frida Escobedo has captured some of the world’s most sought after commissions. In 2018, Taller Frida Escobedo designed the Serpentine Pavilion, making her the youngest architect to ever do so. Then in 2022, her office was commissioned to design the new Modern & Contemporary Wing at the Met, another major milestone for the young firm. Now, Escobedo is designing her first residential project in New York.
Bergen in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, is a 7-story, 209,000-square-foot building that will complement its tree-lined street with a dynamic, angled, rhythmic facade. The architect leveraged the site’s east-west orientation with bays that jut out from the units, increasing the amount of natural light in each flat. Porosity and transparency, the architect said, is woven throughout the building’s design.
While the building certainly pays its respect to Boerum Hill’s historic context, Bergen is also designed to stand out. The materials Escobedo employed at Bergen are characteristic of the firm: salmon red precast concrete features throughout the street facing facade, complemented by sleek mullions with a titanium blue hue. Upon closer inspection, some of the masonry coarsing is stacked vertically, creating even more of a pronounced angularity.
Cumulatively, there will be across 49 unique unit types, priced from $700,000. Celosia elements, the architect said, will help bring in light to the building’s 105 units, which range from studios to three-bedroom duplexes. A curtain-walled rectangular volume that Escobedo called the “Glass House” functions as the Bergen’s entry point from both Dean and Bergen Streets. This feature is designed to connect both residential wings of the building.
In total, the Bergen will have over 16,000 square feet of interior amenities spread across four levels: This will include an array of services from health, wellness, entertainment, and arts. The floors will be interwoven with one another vis-a-vis a cylindrical totem stair, a design that maximizes the amount of natural sunlight into the building. Parking, storage, and bike storage will be available for purchase.
The project developer is Avdoo Partners, Workstead is designing the interiors, and GF55 is the architect of record. DXA Studio and Patrick Cullina are responsible for designing a residents-only 12,000-square-foot park at the Bergen, Dean Park. DXA and Patrick Cullina are also designing two common rooftop parks for the building.
Construction on the Bergen is slated for completion in 2025.
