[David Childs and an Atlantic Yards site plan circa '07.]
The Nets are hopeless, so developer Bruce Ratner is reportedly looking at other ways to infuse his controversial Brooklyn megaproject with talent. Bring on the starchitects! There are 16 residential high-rises that are still part (in theory) of Atlantic Yards, with construction on the first—for which no design has been revealed—slated to begin next spring. Ratner already sacked the biggest name of them all, so who's he looking at now? Here's one: Freedom Tower—pardon, 1 World Trade Center—designer David Childs, who told the Brooklyn Paper that he has discussed working on one of the Atlantic Yards towers with Ratner. And then Childs went and did it: He got our hopes up!
Childs added: "Bruce wants to bring in different architects, good architects, to do each of the residential buildings. That’s something I'd be very excited about. Talking to Bruce, it’s clear that he wants to do this right. He really does." If you say so, buddy. Frank Gehry was tossed off the project in a cost-cutting move, so it's unclear how much Ratner is really willing to spend to import some flashy names. Another potential candidate is Childs's SOM colleague Roger Duffy, who designed Downtown Brooklyn conversation starter Toren. A zebra building for every Brooklyn 'hood, we say!
· 'Childs' play: Bruce may be bringing in top architects to work on Yards [Brooklyn Paper]
· Atlantic Yards coverage [Curbed]
