New York studio HWKN has resurrected the nightclub of New York's popular
gay resort Fire Island Pines inside an asymmetric pavilion with
criss-crossing timber brace
The Fire Island Pines Pavilion had been the main attraction of the Pines
community since the 1980s, so when the building was destroyed by fire
in 2011 HWKN was asked to rebuild it with an improved design.
The new building is a two-storey timber construction with a bar and
terrace at ground floor level, plus a dance club and outdoor lounge on
the first floor. There's also a retractable roof so the club can be
opened to the sky on warm summer evenings.
The corner of the structure appears to have been sliced away, angling
the building's terraces to face the nearby harbour and directing views
towards new arrivals.
HWKN's Marc Kushner explains: "When it is empty, [the new pavilion] is a
muscular icon for the energy and vitality of the Pines - it visually
welcomes every ferry that arrives to the island. As it fills with an
afternoon crowd, the architecture fades in importance. The building
becomes an armature to display the social spectacle of a weekend in the
Pines."
Bars on both floors feature zig-zagging outlines, intended to encourage
more social encounters. Inside the nightclub, bleacher-style seating
areas create viewing platforms and a rectangular skylight offers a
window to the stars.
"We infused every space with a social engine, including the triangular bars that encourage casual meetings, the arena-like bleachers in the nightclub that put the 'see and be seen' opportunity into the third dimension and the inviting openness of the triangular facade frames," comments HWKN's Matthias Hollwich.
from dezeen