Playing it straight earns firm top design award

Real Estate Weekly, June 30, 2004

Brooklyn-based Firm Wins Award from Society of American Registered Architects

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (June 21, 2004)--Architecture firm Scarano & Associates has been given the 2004 Design Award of Honor by the New York Council Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) for The Toy Factory Lofts, a 56-unit residential condominium at 176 Johnson Street in Downtown Brooklyn, announces Natalie Cadoch, marketing director for Winchester Realty, LLC, the developer of the condominium lofts.

The design plan entailed the conversion of a 1920's toy factory into open space condominium units with high-end amenities for affordable prices, starting in the $200,000's.

The 64,000-square-foot structure--where Electric Football, one of the most popular post World War II toys, was once manufactured--stands eight stories with a lower level. The new design includes a spacious lobby with ground floor professional offices, below ground parking and fitness center and common roof deck.

"This is our first project with Scarano & Associates and it has been a wonderful experience," says Ms. Cadoch. "They have shunned the typical cookie-cutter, boxy design you see everywhere for something that is dramatic and exciting, with surprising angles and efficient space. I am delighted and proud that our building is the reason why this fine architecture firm is receiving the award."

The Scarano team responsible for the design of The Toy Factory Lofts includes Ronny Cohen-Piotraut, Tamar Kisilevitz and Robert Scarano. In addition to the overall plan, the architects are being recognized for their innovative solutions for the structural columns throughout the building, incorporating some inside the units as decorative features and others in common hallways that articulate the boundaries between the private and public areas. The Scarano plan was also lauded for cultivating the building's playful quality in the design through the addition of such elements as zigzag hallways and whimsical lighting fixtures. The judges acknowledged the metaphorical relationship between the new design and the building's history as a toy factory.

The Toy Factory Lofts is the first luxury condominium in Downtown Brooklyn and is located next to MetroTech Center, near the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.