Double A-Frame Theatrical Studios
Originally a heavy industrial site housing a metal foundry in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, this double A-frame building will be restored to become the new home for an innovative studio program for theatrical arts.
The project exemplifies low-carbon design thinking in three major ways:
First, it evolves our existing building stock through adaptive reuse to support an innovative new use, simultaneously reducing demolition waste and engaging with the history of the site.
Second, it repurposes removed building materials to create architectural features, while minimizing the use of virgin materials.
Finally, the structural insertions leverage low-carbon alternatives to standard construction practices by introducing mass timber from sustainably forested vendors within
North America.
Gantry Crane Installation of Cross-Laminated Timber Panels
The design celebrates the existing heavy timber classification of the 1902 building by exposing the existing wood trusses and juxtaposing it with a new mass
timber insertion to create bright, interconnected spaces.
A gantry crane was attached to the existing timber trusses and used to slide new cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels into place on top of a system of glulam beams and columns.
A gantry crane was attached to the existing timber trusses and used to slide new cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels into place on top of a system of glulam beams and columns.
Entry Hall & Studio Section Perspective
Adaptive Reuse Axonometric
The building was transformed from a warren of dark, enclosed rooms into a series of flexible spaces, naturally illuminated spaces that support the creative process. A central atrium serves as a gathering
place connecting four separate rehearsal spaces and encouraging unplanned connections and collaboration.
Client: Mercury Store
Architect: CO Adaptive
MEPS Engineers: ABS Engineering
Structural Engineers: ADOF Structural Engineers
Acoustic Designers: Charcoal Blue
Lighting Consultant: SDA Lighting
General Contractor: Yorke Construction
Photographs: CO Adaptive, unless otherwise specified
Entry Hall Construction Axonometric
Care is taken to repurpose, rather than erase, the materials and character of the brick and heavy timber building. The removed timber joists will be adapted into guardrail posts framing the central atrium and acoustic panel partitions in the main studios.
The design celebrates the layered and rich history of the building, and embraces its rugged and beautiful imperfections as a backdrop for the creative processes it will house.
