Rocking the Boat Facility
Hunts Point, Bronx, NY — 2010
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Rocking the Boat’s expansive workshop supports collaborative boatbuilding projects.

Once a warehouse in Hunts Point, our design reimagines the Rocking the Boat facilities as an open, hands-on learning environment where students can build wooden boats, study the river, gain skills, and grow.

The Rocking the Boat facility serves as a home for boatbuilding and environmental science programs for local students. The site, an industrial structure set back from the street, was originally built for warehousing, not welcoming, and required a transformation that brought light and purpose to the space.

WXY preserved the building’s footprint and steel frame while opening it up to light and circulation. A full-height glass façade replaced portions of the original exterior, revealing the interior activity and turning the facility into a beacon and neighborhood landmark. Inside, the layout organizes marine labs, student lounges, and boatbuilding zones around a central open workspace, with sawtooth skylights drawing in daylight.

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The exterior of the Rocking the Boat facility.

New infrastructure includes a rainwater harvesting system and upgraded mechanicals integrated within the existing frame. By retaining core structural elements, the adaptive reuse approach reduced material waste and allowed the team to focus on performance, clarity, and long-term flexibility.

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Vibrant mural and open spaces create a welcoming atmosphere in Rocking the Boat’s interior.

The facilities serves more than 2,000 students and community members each year, offering free programs in rowing, sailing, water testing, and woodworking. It creates a direct link between education and the environment, turning the waterfront into a space for learning and leadership. Ninety-six percent of participants graduate from high school, far above the neighborhood average. Of those, ninety percent continue on to college or technical training. What began as adaptive reuse has become a center of connection between people and New York’s waterways.

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Students engage in hands-on boatbuilding within Rocking the Boat’s open workshop space.

“This space is more than just a workshop—it’s a launchpad for opportunity. By giving young people direct access to the waterfront, we’re empowering them to connect with their environment, develop life skills, and transform their own futures in a way that wasn’t possible before.” — Adam Green, founder and executive director, Rocking the Boat
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A Rocking the Boat classroom, designed to foster learning and collaboration.

Client:
Rocking the Boat
WXY architecture + urban design

Claire Weisz Architects LLP
d/b/a WXY architecture + urban design

212 219 1953
office@wxystudio.com
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