F17 /
High-Performance Painting and Sound Studio
Originally the building for a carting company built in Williamsburg, Brooklyn around 1940, this small single story garage structure is getting a deep renovation to become a music and art studio space for an artist couple. The rear of the long building footprint will house a sound-isolated rehearsal and recording studio, and the front of the space will be used as a painting studio. The two spaces are connected with a lounge that serves as a working living room, complete with a kitchenette, ample storage space, and a small pop up above the roofline.
The deep space will boast four large skylights that bring natural light and sky views into the space, and the front facade is receiving a new, high performance glass entry door and glazed garage door, which will allow additional light to filter in from the south facing street, alongside abundant flexibility to bring in and out large objects, canvases and even drive in to charge an electrical vehicle.
The roof is receiving a significant insulation layer from the exterior, and therefore old joists and decking are exposed to the studio, adding warmth and texture to the otherwise simple space. The material palette is clean and simple—stainless steel in the kitchenette and interior separating glass doors meet a brushed concrete floor, exposed original brick and soft tadelakt walls.
The project is currently being built; framing is complete and high performance skylights have been installed. System installation is underway and the project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025.
The space was carefully insulated from the interior at all thermally exposed walls, and roof joists were air-sealed underneath the significant insulation layer above. Glassfoam insulation was laid out underneath the new concrete slab, helping to level the space and ensuring a considered holistic envelope for comfort throughout the seasons.
Our team was careful to save existing removed lumber in the creation of new skylight openings, which were reused within the space, or absorbed into our reuse library. All new framing lumber is sourced from FSC certified sources, and new wood elements within the space are planned to be fabricated from London Plane—an underutilized NYC Street Tree.
MEP Engineering: MWB Engineering
Structural Engineering: Bergan Design Lab Engineering
Carpentry: CO Adaptive
Plumbing: DAO Mechanical Corp.
Electrical: Denmar Electric
HVAC: At Your Service HVAC
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Type: Arts & Cultural
Values: Creative Reuse, Low Carbon, Healthy Materials, Energy Efficiency