Inspiration
The design of National Sawdust [in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood] is essentially a retooling of the 18th-century chamber hall model as an incubator for new music. This anachronism aligns well with the nonprofit’s mission: to give support to musicians and composers as they create new work. It provides a home in which artists can linger, rehearse, compose, experiment, record, and ultimately premiere new works.
Black and white effect
We wanted to create a space that did not disappear when the lights go down like a traditional black box—a space that was memorable and would linger during the performance. We also wanted to maintain a level of flexibility, where drastic changes could take place with lighting effects and different performances. The white perforated panels act as a visually translucent, but acoustically transparent, skin. They allow us to mask the variable acoustic systems that sit behind, which gives a consistent, wraparound enclosure regardless of the performance or instrumentation. The black recessed channels act as a forgiving space that collects all the incidental requirements—AV tie-ins, electric outlets, rigging points, theatrical lighting—allowing the panels to be free of all materials.
A space that presents some aesthetic challenges to a performance can also act as a heuristic device—to challenge a performance. We’ve been impressed with how artists have already used the space in ways that we had not imagined.
Highlights
For a nonprofit and its founder, Kevin Dolan, to have trusted a young group of architects who had never built a building before, to create a building of this importance has been a dream. Peter was also asked to join the board and continue as a curator at the space. We’ve been a part of the formation of a nonprofit, the designers of its home (a seven-year undertaking), and now we’re a part of its future.
Challenge
The complexity of this project in such a small footprint (13,000 square feet in total, 3,100 for the hall itself)—especially the acoustic isolation requirements. Luckily we worked closely with some amazing people. Specifically, the theater and acoustics teams at Arup, who have worked on massive opera houses and concert halls the world over, and describe this project as the most complex per square foot of any they have worked on.
