A/D/O TO PROVIDE A NEW CREATIVE SPACE FOR DESIGNERS IN GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  March 29, 2016. A new design destination is coming to Brooklyn later this summer. A/D/O, a 23,000 square foot space at 29 Norman Avenue in Greenpoint, will provide a place for design professionals to work, develop and play. The space will be open to the public and offer a world-class restaurant, public workspace, event venue, and design store, in addition to its professional programs.
A/D/O is an initiative of MINI and part of the company’s exploration of solutions that improve urban life. It aims to be a catalyst for interdisciplinary design collaboration and a prolific source of innovative ideas for the future.
 
“At our roots, MINI is a design company,” said Esther Bahne, who leads the Brand and Business Innovation Team for MINI. “We’re opening a space dedicated to designers because we view design as core to our heritage and integral to our future. The first MINI was the vision of a free-thinking design team and their creative spirit inspired this space.”
 
Building on that spirit of collaboration, A/D/O will support its community by providing access to established design mentors, a suite of prototyping tools, and relationships with manufacturing resources in the area so that designers can treat it as a hub for finding the resources and facilities they need.
 
 “The Greenpoint area has a proud industrial history and we are excited to honor that, and to be a part of its future,” said Nathan Pinsley, who will serve as Managing Director of A/D/O. “Our team is passionate about creating both an international design destination and an important resource for the local community.”
 
A/D/O will also be home to the URBAN-X startup accelerator, announced in January by MINI and HAX Futures. The program, which invests in 20 companies per year, provides funding, technical assistance and network building to help companies rapidly bring innovative technologies to market.
 
The transformation of 29 Norman Avenue is being led by Brooklyn-based nARCHITECTS, whose design will preserve aspects of the existing warehouse while developing an inspiring and conducive environment for creative work.
 
More details on A/D/O will emerge over the coming months.
 
About A/D/O.
A/D/O is a creative environment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where design professionals can work, develop and play. Opening in late summer 2016, the 23,000 square-foot space at 29 Norman Avenue will be home to design programming, workspaces, a startup accelerator, a world-class restaurant, event venues and a design store. A/D/O is an initiative of MINI and part of the company’s exploration of innovative ideas that improve urban life. For more information about A/D/O please visit: http://a-d-o.nyc.
 
About MINI.
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 125 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.
 
Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists online at www.miniusanews.com.