Behind the Build: Bednark Studio | Episode 219

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Celebrate NYC X DESIGN Interior Design Day with a virtual visit to Bednark Studio, a vertically-integrated design and fabrication company that specializes in retail environments, experiential marketing, and architectural millwork. Based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Bednark is a custom fabricator with manufacturing capabilities in wood, plastic, metal, print, and integrated lighting. On this virtual tour, we will be joined by founder Michael Bednark, who will walk us through their 65,000-square-foot shop and discuss their process, capabilities, and a selection of their 3,000+ premium projects for local clients and global brands including Balenciaga, Nike, and St. Germain.

Brooklyn Navy Yard logo
This program is presented as part of NYC x Design 2021 and organized for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation.

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National Manufacturing Day at the Brooklyn Army Terminal | Episode 143

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Celebrate National Manufacturing Day by visiting one of the centers of industry in New York City, the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Located in Sunset Park, the Brooklyn Army Terminal is home to over 100 companies, ranging from food to precision machining, fashion to biotechnology. On this virtual tour, we visit with Makerspace NYC, Lee Spring, and Norwegian Baked to learn about their businesses and production process, why they manufacture in New York City, and how they have weathered the pandemic and supported the city’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical supplies. This program is hosted in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Photo credit: NYCEDC / John Bartelstone

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Brooklyn Army Terminal: Unexpected Stories from the Archives | Episode 65

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

The Brooklyn Army Terminal has served many functions over the years, including as a liquor storehouse in the 1920’s, a coffee roastery in the 1930’s postal sorting center in the 1960’s, and a massive art exhibition space in the 1980’s. In celebration of the 102nd anniversary of the Terminal’s groundbreaking, we will be delving into our archives to share a selection of our favorite stories from a century of labor, logistics, and innovation at this waterfront landmark.

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How It’s Made: Scott Jordan Furniture | Episode 46

Scott Jordan standing in front of a CNC router with wooden parts

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Go inside industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with Scott Jordan Furniture, a manufacturer of beautiful solid-wood furniture that has been in business for more than 35 years. Founder Scott Jordan will take us on a virtual tour of his shop and his production process, which blends traditional and advanced manufacturing techniques. He will walk us through the computer-aided design system, show us his CNC (computer numerical control) router that cuts and shapes parts, walk us through his beautiful Navy Yard showroom, and share how the business has grown and evolved over time.

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Inside Industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard: Digital Fabrication, Jan 31

Sitting at his desk using a mouse and looking at a screen with a chair on it, Scott Jordan builds a chair, virtually.

Many of the businesses in the Brooklyn Navy Yard bring together traditional handcrafts and advanced manufacturing techniques to create unique, high-quality products. On this tour, we will go “inside industry” with designers and fabricators that use both digital tools and traditional handcrafts to make everything from furniture to tech hardware, and we will learn how companies are integrating 3D printing, digital imaging, CNC machining, and other techniques and tools in order to survive in competitive (and expensive) New York City.

Inside Industry: Digital Fabrication at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

icon-calendar  FRI, Jan 31, 2020
icon-clock-o 2 hours
icon-ticket $35 per person
icon-male Walking tour
  BLDG 92, Fort Greene, Brooklyn

National Manufacturing Day Tours, Oct. 4

Ferra Designs metal design and fabrication workshop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Celebrate National Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 4 on a guided tour at the Brooklyn Navy Yard focused on interior design and fabrication The tour will begin with an introduction to the Yard’s story, with an emphasis on the diverse array of products, goods, and objects designed and manufactured on-site over the last two centuries. Next, visitors will walk the 30,000-square-foot factory floor of Ferra Designs, a company that specializes in custom-built architectural metalwork, and visit the studio of textile maker AVO, and speak directly to some of the craftspeople redefining manufacturing and making at the Yard today. This tour is great for anyone interested in art, design, craft, and manufacturing as well as those interested in history and the continued social and economic impact of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Metalworking and woodworking is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in New York City, but it is eclipsed by food production, processing, and packaging, which employs more than 17,000 New Yorkers. On Oct. 4 we will also be hosting a tour of de Royal Dinges Factory, a commercial kitchen and food truck commissary that produces more than 7,000 waffles daily for Wafels & Dinges, one of the most successful street food businesses in the city (and finalist at this year’s Vendy Awards). Visitors will learn how commissaries work to support the thousands of food carts and trucks around the city, walk through the production line, and even get to put their hands in some dough to make their own authentic Liège wafel.

National Manufacturing Day Tours

icon-gears  Brooklyn Navy Yard: Inside Industry // FRI, Oct 4, 9:30am 
icon-truck  Wafels & Dinges Factory Tour // FRI, Oct 4, 10am

National Manufacturing Day, Oct. 5

Manufacturing Day Logo

Celebrate National Manufacturing Day with events across the country on Friday, Oct. 5, including two events hosted by Turnstile Tours and our manufacturing partners. At 9:30am, join us at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a tour of Ferra Designs, a shop that designs and fabricates architectural metalwork and furniture. The tour will include an explanation of their methodology from founder Rob Ferraroni, as well as a walk through the shop floor to see the work of their skilled craftspeople and advanced manufacturing equipment.

At 10am, we will be exploring food manufacturing by visiting the factory of Wafels and Dinges, a purveyor of authentic Belgian wafels. At their Gowanus facility, they produce more than 7,000 wafels daily for their network of food trucks, carts, kiosks, and restaurants, and it also serves as their commissary garage, where they store and service their fleet for mobile food vending.

Friday, Oct. 5 | Multiple Locations | >> More Information <<

Made In NYC 15th Anniversary Party, May 3

Join us at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to celebrate 15 years of remarkable work of Made In NYC, an initiative the Pratt Center for Community Development. This special evening will bring together and celebrate our city’s diverse and ever evolving manufacturing community. The program will include opening remarks from US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and other elected officials, a photography exhibit of the places and faces of contemporary urban manufacturing, and a silent auction of fabulous NYC products and experiences. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy some of the tastiest NYC-made foods and beverages.

When booking, use the promo code TURNSTILE75 to get $50 off tickets. Your ticket will also include a coupon that you can use to get 30% off all of our public tours, which you can use as often as you would like before May 31, 2018.

Thursday, May 3, 5:30pm | Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building 77 | >> More Information <<

Press Release: Brooklyn Navy Yard Launches Fall 2016 Inside Industry Tour Series

The inside of a metal fabrication shop, a fork lift drives down the center of the space

Guided Tour Series Offers Insider’s View of Factories, Workshops, and Tech Hubs

(Brooklyn, NY) — Have you ever wondered what’s made at the Brooklyn Navy Yard? Now you can find out by joining special insider tours of some of the 330 businesses that call the thriving industrial park home. The tours will include visits to a wide range of facilities, from woodworking shops to spacesuit makers to the groundbreaking new technology center, New Lab.

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Digital Technology Augments Craftsmanship at Scott Jordan Furniture

Sitting at his desk using a mouse and looking at a screen with a chair on it, Scott Jordan builds a chair, virtually.

One of the hallmarks of the companies that we feature on our Making It In NYC tour series at the Brooklyn Navy Yard is that they wed traditional crafts with advanced technology to create unique, innovative, and competitive products. Scott Jordan Furniture is a perfect example of this union.

Founded in 1980, the company has had its home at the Brooklyn Navy Yard since 1988, back when there were fewer neighbors and fewer amenities than you find around the Yard today. Since the company’s inception, the eponymous Scott Jordan and his team have made solid wood beds, tables, chairs and other home furnishings by hand with original designs.>> Continue reading