Street art and a post-industrial atmosphere at Rheingold Bushwick

With its 500 apartments and 6 amenity zones, there is truly nothing lacking in Rheingold Bushwick, a 3,500 square metre housing complex in Brooklyn built on the site of the former Rheingold Brewery, demolished in the 1980s. The project, completed in 2018, was led by ODA Architecture while the interiors were created by Durukan Design, both based in New York. The interior design concept is closely linked to the context. The former industrial Bushwick neighbourhood has now become a kind of open-air gallery featuring a wealth of street art, much of which was created by the Bushwick Collective founded by entrepreneur Joe Ficara. Ever keen to incorporate elements drawn from the geographical, economic, social and cultural context into their work, the Durukan Design team focused strongly on this aspect to create an industrial-meets-pop-art feel. While the interiors of the individual apartments adopt essential lines and mostly neutral tones that emphasise the natural light, the common areas accentuate the connection with the external environment. Large-scale graffiti walls painted by local artists form heavily stylised artways; shipping containers are repurposed as gathering areas; the large two-level entrance lobby is punctuated by concrete pillars.
The six amenity zones distributed over two floors (Common, Social, Art, Play, Wellness and Work) are another distinctive feature of the new building and feature a total of 28 highly appealing recreational spaces. Alongside the usual work and study areas, residents also have access to a climbing wall and cinema room, a yoga studio, a squash court, a spa and a library. As well as offering a wide range of amenities, the aim is to foster a genuine sense of community, of collective living and sharing within the complex.
These spaces also evoke a post-industrial atmosphere thanks to the use of porcelain tile collections from Refin chosen in various sizes both for the flooring in the common areas (complete with brightly coloured ottomans, large poufs and sofas) and for some of the wall coverings. Design Industry Oxyde, available in the two versions Dark and Light, recalls the patina of oxidised metals, while the Plant collection is a wood-concrete surface with a degraded effect also expressed in the Ash shade. The pronounced surface scratching, signs of wear and tear and the range of colours offer an effective interpretation of the underground imagery to which the collection clearly alludes. Rheingold Bushwick won the Residential Multi-Family category of the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition 2022.