The Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility is a processing center for New York City’s curbside metal, glass, and plastic recyclables, managed by Sims Municipal Recycling and the City of New York. Situated on an 11-acre waterfront pier, the facility’s design reflects its recycling function, emphasizing sustainability and reuse. The masterplan organizes buildings for optimal functionality, creates distinct circulation systems to separate visitors from operations, and includes two acres of native plantings. The 140,000 square foot facility features a Tipping Building for incoming recyclables, a Processing Building, a Bale Storage Building with eight loading docks, and an Administrative and Education Center.
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Working within a pre-engineered building, one of the design challenges was to find ways to articulate the program and give an overall expression to the large complex that would distinguish it from ordinary big box construction. In response, structural elements are inverted to appear on the exterior, giving steel girders and lateral bracing a greater visual impact.
The Education Center is one of the project’s most unique features. The structure contains programs for school children and the public including classrooms, exhibitions, and interactive demonstration displays. A key element of the design is a steel bridge which connects the Education Center to a viewing platform inside the Processing Facility. The viewing platform allows students and visitors to see the recycling process in action.
The facility makes a major environmental contribution by delivering recyclables by barge—a strategy which minimizes the distance collection trucks must travel and eliminates 240,000 miles of annual vehicle travel from roadways. Recycled materials are used throughout: site fill is made from a composite of recycled glass, asphalt, and rock reclaimed from the Second Avenue subway construction; buildings are made from recycled steel; and plazas are finished with recycled glass. Other sustainable measures include one of the largest applications of photovoltaics in New York City and wind turbine which together generates approximately 10% of the facility’s power, and bioswales for stormwater management.
- Client:Sims Municipal Recycling; Department of Sanitation (DSNY); Department of Small Business Services (SBS); New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
- Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Size:140,000 sf
- Date:2013
(Photography: John Majors, Nikolas Koenig, Marc Lins, Selldorf Architects)
Site Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Third Floor Plan
Section Looking West
