Contract - September 2013 - (Page 54)

designed to appear like an abstracted street map of Brooklyn, can also be detached and relocated. Even the tension wire grid that hovers above the theater is built for maximum customization, and moveable HVAC ducts give theater technicians total control over light placement. “The space can be anything you imagine. It can be arranged to become the appropriate venue for the audience and the art,” Melillo says. Directly above the main theater, a rehearsal space is encapsulated in a soundproof studio, which allows programming to occur in the two areas simultaneously. The clean, white studio has a double-height ceiling, a sprung floor, and large windows that allow for significant daylight and can be covered with blackout drapes to transform the space into a secondary theater. Flexibility is not limited to the performance areas. All of the functional furnishings within first floor and basement lobbies—ticket counters, kiosks, and concession stands—were custom built with casters so they can be rearranged or removed entirely. Connecting to the character of the neighborhood Providing a transition between the interior and exterior of the building was an important element of BAM Fisher’s design. A new rooftop 54 terrace overlooking the Brooklyn skyline has a pergola at the same elevation as the neighboring opera house, and its back portion contains moveable glass walls that can create a private room or telescope open to form a large space perfect for parties or intimate performances. A green roof recycles water to nourish the native plant species in the garden, and contributes to the building’s LEED-NC Gold rating. At street level, the restored arched windows bring natural light into the first floor lobby and down into the basement below. The interior color scheme was left neutral, with the exception of color-changing LEDs on the basement stair risers and a 37-foot long mural by local artist José Parlá, which features gestural brushstrokes evocative of the movement of dancers. While the other BAM buildings may feel like time capsules from other eras—the nearby Harvey Theater was left as a seemingly unfinished “architectural ruin” that embraces chipped paint and eroded walls from the original 1904 structure—BAM Fisher was intended to be forward-looking, while keeping the historical connections to the area intact. The hybrid of new and old fits well in this Brooklyn cultural nexus. As Pizzetta says, "it looks like it belongs in the neighborhood." c contractdesign.com september 2013 http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - September 2013

Contract - September/October 2013
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Columnist: Winning Work at the Interview: It’s All About Chemistry
Product Focus: Glow Sticks
Product Focus: A Touch of Yesteryear
Product Briefs: Products with a Sustainable Focus
Dropbox
Restoration Hardware
BAM Fisher
Prahran Hotel
Downtown Mexico
Lighting Lessons from an Artist
Competition: Design Is…
Designers Select: Eco-friendly Products
Sources
Ad Index
Interior Detail: A Flowing Aluminum Ceiling Symbolizes Water in a Japanese Beauty Salon

Contract - September 2013