8. Inlet Theater
Building Technology IV, Fall 2017
Site: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
Instructor: Sarrah Khan
Collaborators: Andrew Grant, Mariella Tzakis, Isaac Warshauer
The theatre is situated in a formerly industrial waterfront area in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This area is directly north of and adjacent to Bushwick Inlet, which connects to the East River. The inlet was once the start of a natural freshwater stream, but became polluted through the 19th and early 20th century as a result of its proximity to the industrial activities of the neighborhood. The City of New York is in the process of revitalizing its waterfront along the East River, and as a result, the city-owned park area containing the inlet directly to the south of the building site on Franklin Avenue is slated to be restored as a public park.
Several waterfront areas in the neighborhood have already opened to the public. To the south, the East River State Park sits on the foundation of an industrial terminal building. Just north of the state park, a portion of the Bushwick Inlet Park contains a new outdoor sports field facing the East River and a new community facility connecting the field to Franklin Street.
The theater participates in the realignment of the neighborhood to its waterfront by maintaining a low, visually open lobby on the south side of the building site. This area will provide circulation through to the theater while simultaneously permitting pedestrian connections from the street to the new waterfront park.
In the public-facing sides of the building, containing the lobby and restaurant, a glazed curtain wall provides natural light. An overhang calibrated to let in direct sunlight in the winter but not in the summer provides warmth in the winter and shading in the summer. The rooftop studio is lit by skylights from above and by glazing on its walls. The rooftop garden surrounding the studio space is sheltered by a perforated corten steel wall, providing partial shade along the edges of the garden, and allowing visitors to walk around the garden freely.
