In 2012, StudioTJOA was awarded 1st Prize for “Water_Works” in the category of Urban Ecology by the Jury of the first ‘Gowanus by Design’ competition. The concept of creating a sunken skatepark and handball court which could act as overflow during storm events was a result of the partners living through Superstorm Sandy and seeing first hand how the Gowanus Canal breached its walls when the store surge and rains came in.