As part of the adaptive reuse of an abandoned commercial laundry facility, the Business Development Incubator has helped revitalized the West Side neighborhood of Jersey City. Located within a New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone, the incubator has encouraged many promising and nascent businesses to repopulate the area, creating much-needed jobs and providing a pedestrian-friendly presence on the street.
The renovation represents the future of the business incubator while paying homage to Jersey City’s rich history. After revealing the industrial building’s bare bones—its concrete, brick, and steel structure—the design inserted modern office spaces into the spacious floor plates. Elements of the existing building, such as its long-spanning trusses, were exposed wherever possible while providing 21st-century comfort and technology. Many rooms take advantage of existing skylights and clerestory windows.
The shared spaces and 300-square-foot business suites provide the incubator with a collaborative environment that stimulates the creativity of the tenants by providing fun, flexible spaces in which their ideas can flourish.
