Marking a bold new chapter in Brooklyn’s evolving skyline, Brandon Haw Architecture has completed Two and Three Williamsburg Wharf — a pair of shimmering, stepped towers on the East River. With sculptural metal façades and a nod to the area’s industrial heritage, the buildings signal the first phase of the highly anticipated Williamsburg Wharf masterplan. Located just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, the two 22-storey towers are clad in bevelled aluminium panels that refract the shifting daylight like sculpted metal skins. The exterior materials were selected not only for their durability and clean aesthetic but also to reflect the spirit of South Williamsburg — an area steeped in Dutch heritage, industrial roots, and historic cast-iron façades. “We wanted the buildings to belong to this place — to echo the neighborhood’s history while reflecting the light and energy of the river,” said Brandon Haw, founder of the eponymous New York-based firm.
A mirrored pairing with purposeful massing
Despite being architectural twins in scale and stature, Two and Three Williamsburg Wharf are far from identical. Each building features stepped massing, with corners that pull back in terraces, softening their verticality and creating expansive outdoor living spaces. These terraces allow for additional sunlight, river views, and green space, giving residents a direct connection to the waterfront environment.
The towers are anchored by a shared podium that hugs the angled site. The design maximizes the lot’s geometry and offers a distinct canopy-like structure beneath each tower that shelters landscaped terraces and communal areas. This podium is more than a structural base—it’s a foundation for social living.
At street level, a corner-shaped public plaza opens up views and access to the riverwalk, reinforcing the development’s commitment to permeability and community connection. Inside, a wood-panelled corridor leads from the entrance to Kent Avenue, while the buildings’ lobby interiors set a mood of serene refinement, combining Venetian plaster walls with tinted mirrored finishes that reflect the architecture’s metallic language.
Interiors rooted in restraint and richness
Brandon Haw Architecture also led the interior design for the residential and amenity spaces, focusing on a modern, textural palette. Model residences, completed in collaboration with Claudia Allegra Interiors, showcase a contemporary approach anchored by neutral textiles, matte black fixtures, and warm bronze accents. The interiors strike a balance between luxury and livability, drawing inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood’s industrial DNA while incorporating contemporary comforts.
Across both towers, a total of 334 rental apartments span from studios to spacious three-bedroom units. Amenity offerings are yet to be fully revealed, but residents can expect outdoor terraces, lounges, and wellness spaces that echo the architectural ambition of the buildings themselves.
A vision for the waterfront’s future
Two and Three Williamsburg Wharf represent just the beginning. They are the first phase of a much larger masterplan, also led by Brandon Haw Architecture and developed by Naftali Group, one of New York’s most prolific residential developers. When complete, the full Williamsburg Wharf development will include five towers and 950 residences, linked by an expansive network of landscaped outdoor areas designed by Scape, the award-winning landscape architecture studio known for its ecological and community-focused design approach.
According to the developer, another residential tower will be delivered before the end of 2025 as part of this first phase, with move-ins scheduled for summer 2025. Future towers will be designed by a lineup of acclaimed firms, including CookFox Architects and Rockwell Group, though detailed renderings and floorplans have not yet been made public.
The development will eventually tie into a waterfront promenade, enhancing walkability along the East River and continuing the vision of a publicly accessible urban shoreline. With its dynamic mix of architecture, landscape, and lifestyle, Williamsburg Wharf aims to create not just residences, but a new urban experience that links nature, design, and community.
A waterfront renaissance
The arrival of Brandon Haw Architecture’s twin towers adds to a growing list of design-forward developments reshaping Brooklyn’s waterfront. In nearby Greenpoint, OMA’s Eagle + West towers push architectural boundaries with jagged forms and angular silhouettes. Selldorf Architects’ porcelain-clad high-rises and CookFox’s environmentally attuned towers all speak to the area’s metamorphosis from post-industrial fringe to luxury urban enclave.
Yet unlike its counterparts, Williamsburg Wharf appears poised to bridge the past and future with a more nuanced, material-driven design. These are buildings that shimmer, shift, and respond to their environment — much like the river they overlook. And with their metallic façades catching the light at dawn and dusk, Two and Three Williamsburg Wharf are already playing their part in Brooklyn’s architectural symphony: a reflective, resilient new chapter for the city’s ever-changing skyline.
