With so many new buildings going up in Brooklyn, it’s important for them to be beautiful in some way, since we’re going to be living with them for awhile. The rules of attraction come in many categories. Buildings can dazzle us with architectural daring. They can provide inspirational spaces for entrepreneurs and educators. They can be role models for sustainability. They can provide pleasant affordable housing, which is no small feat these days.
Beautiful buildings in those categories and more were honored this week at the 17th annual Building Brooklyn Awards, which took place at one of the award winners, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. The 15 awards recognize “recently completed construction and renovation projects that have made an exemplary mark on Kings County,” according to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, which presents the honors.
Two individuals were honored: Katepalli Sreenivasan, dean of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, for his work on the NYU Tandon MakerSpace; and Timothy King, managing partner at CPEX Real Estate, for his contributions to creating the retail space Beyond at Liberty View and other ventures.
In their acceptance speeches, both honorees mentioned Brooklyn’s motto, Eendraght Maeckt Maght, which, translated from the Dutch, means Unity Makes Strength. Said Sreenivasan: “This motto is an important thing and I think it’s something that Brooklyn seems to remember.” On this evening, there was a strong sense that Brooklyn’s rising profile is growing more handsome by the day.