STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
Wildflower Ltd.
TYPOLOGY
Work
SIZE M2/FT2
70,606 / 760,000
SHARE
The Robert de Niro-led Wildflower Studios is a commercial film studio situated just two miles from Manhattan in the Ditmars-Steinway neighborhood of Astoria, Queens.
Film studios are typically organized side by side on large lots, allowing for trucks to deliver goods and services directly to each stage. In the dense urban environment of New York City, BIG reimagined this arrangement to house future of film within a reduced footprint.
As the first immersive environment for filmed entertainment content of its kind in New York City, the new vertical media production village will be home to storytellers working across all mediums – a three-dimensional hub of collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
TRADITIONAL SOUND STAGES
— Sound stages are typically organized side by side on large lots, allowing for trucks to deliver goods and services directly to each stage. In the dense urban environment of New York City BIG reimagined this arrangement to house future of storytelling within a reduced foot print.
METROPOLITAN SOUND STAGES
— In the borough of Queens, where ground floor space is limited, BIG proposed stacking the sound stages into a vertical studio village. A first for this building type that can serve as a prototype for future studios.
STUDIO VILLAGE
— To harness the creative energy that a metropolitan area produces, BIG encloses the studio under a roof that protects production crews from the elements and enables opportunities for communal gathering to encourage the sharing of ideas and inspiration.
FLOATING VILLAGE
— The studio is lifted out of the flood zone which gives the opportunity to bring trucks beneath the building for more efficient loading. At the same time this frees up the street and sidewalk for public enjoyment.
SITE
— Located along the Steinway Creek at the end of 19th Avenue, the site occupies half of an industrial block in Ditmars Steinway, Queens. The building footprint is offset to allow for a wide public walkway and a publicly accessible waterfront.
MAIN PROGRAM COMPONENTS
— Stages and Support.
BIG HOUSE
— A uniform-material volume covers the site.
The side edges are pushed down to reduce the building height.
FOLDS
— Fold-ins placed at strategic locations connect the indoors to the outdoors, let daylight in, and break down the volume’s scale.
WILDFLOWER STUDIOS
— The result is a dynamic envelope with a variety of spatial qualities sensible to the program needs- moments of outward connection that still preserve the collaborative intimacy in the production spaces.
The project comes at a time when the film and television industry in New York is growing at a rapid pace – helping to satisfy the overwhelming demand for a large production studio in New York City.
The program is organized around eleven basic studio ‘modules.’ Each module consists of the large span stage, vertical transportation, and production support spaces such as scene shops and dressing rooms. The modules are organized into two story rows contained within a single volume. A central spine between the two rows becomes the bustling heart of activity between the stages. In addition, one entire floor provides office space for the production teams. Large openings in the warehouse bring daylight into the central street and create a communal terrace for the actors, production crews, producers, screenwriters, and other inhabitants.
Through the diverse mix of interconnected spaces – including a range of stages, production-support areas, open and private offices, fitness room, cafes and lounges – the design aims to facilitate the best creative work possible by providing dynamic spaces for collaboration and connection. On the exterior, the 145-foot-tall building will be clad with precast concrete panels, set at angles that create an animated effect on the building façade as the angle of the sun changes through the day. Two open-air terraces puncture the façade providing an outdoor connection to the waterfront, natural daylight, and views of the Manhattan skyline. The building’s roof will include a 150,000 sq ft solar panel footprint.
Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Agustin Perez-Torres Martin Voelkle Leon Rost Adam Poole Agne Rapkeviciute Alejandra Cortes Alvaro Velosa Tran Le David Iseri Emmett Walker Florencia Kratsman Greg Pray Jacob Karasik Jan Leenknegt Linqi Dong Lucia Sanchez Ramirez Margaret Tyrpa Margaux Thys Mher Tarakjian Neha Sadruddin Oliver Thomas Kig Veerasunthorn Stephanie Hui Tracey Coffin Veronica Watson Wes Thompson Won Ryu Ziad Shehab Bryan Hardin Casey Tucker Stephen Kwok Deb Campbell Elnaz Rafati Francesca Portesine Janie Green Jesper Boye Andersen Bernardo Schuhmacher Douglass Alligood Nicolas Lapierre Veronica Varela Benjamin Caldwell Ahmad Tabbakh Guillermo Romani Cynthia Wang Vi Madrazo Ashley O'Neill
AWARDS
Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Awards, 2024
COLLABORATORS
Thornton Tomasetti
Sherwood Design Engineers
Altieri Sebor Wieber
Janson + Tsai
Lerch Bates
Dot Dash
Code Consultants
Dirtworks
TMS Waterfront
Buckman Engineering PLLC
Shen Milsom & Wilke LLC
Cini Little
Yui Design
Northern Designs LLC
The Slowdown
Entro
Allegion
FST Technical Services
