Foundation work has started on a residential tower at 175 Third Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn, next to Powerhouse Arts, according to Brownstoner, which cited site photos showing excavation and foundation activity underway this week.
The project is a Bjarke Ingels Group-designed tower from developer SomeraRoad, built on a site the firm has controlled since the Gowanus rezoning cleared a wider wave of development along the canal. Brownstoner's report did not state a final unit count, height or total construction cost, and The RFI Wire could not independently confirm those figures from a primary filing as of this writing.
The site sits directly beside Powerhouse Arts, the converted former Con Edison powerhouse that reopened as an arts and fabrication center, giving the project a visible neighbor that will frame how the tower reads from the canal and from Third Street.
Gowanus has been one of the most active rezoning areas in Brooklyn for new ground-up filings since the 2021 rezoning took effect, and this tower adds another large residential project to a corridor already carrying several others in various stages of permitting and construction.
SomeraRoad has not announced a general contractor for the job in the Brownstoner report, and The RFI Wire found no DOB permit record yet reflecting superstructure work at the address.
What to do next
Foundation and excavation subs working Gowanus should watch this site for upcoming subcontractor solicitations once SomeraRoad names a GC — new ground-up towers in the corridor have historically opened bidding on structural, curtain wall and MEP packages within months of foundation starts. Check DOB's Building Information System directly for 175 Third Street to track when a superstructure permit posts, since that filing will name the GC of record and give the first hard construction-cost figure tied to the project.