Project Overview
Situated in the western portion of New York City’s Queens borough, Wildflower Studios is a massive, state-of-the-art television and film production facility that promises to bolster the city’s culture and economy. Backed by Hollywood icon Robert De Niro, Wildflower Studios features an innovative design and sustainable practices. The 145-ft-tall, 775,000 ft2 structure includes sound stages, 11 studio modules, production support areas, public and private offices, a fitness center, multiple lounges, two open-air terraces, and a 20-ft-wide public waterfront esplanade along Luyster Creek. The seven-story building, which was designed by architect Bjarke Ingels Group, also features the world’s first vertical sound stage with studios stacked in two levels. Each of these studios is 150 ft wide, 120 ft long, and 60 ft high. Working closely with the design team, Universal Concrete Products manufactured more than 900 architectural precast concrete panels to serve as the facade for the facility.
Durable, Soundproof, and Camera-Ready
From the onset of the project, Wildflower Studios’ design team intended to use precast concrete because of its acoustic, structural, and aesthetic qualities. With sound production being a service offered in the facility, it was necessary to choose a building material that could block out the sounds from nearby LaGuardia Airport. Additionally, with the project site located along a waterway, architects at Bjarke Ingels Group sought a durable solution that would not only withstand the potential dangers associated with a flood zone but also meet local energy codes. Precast concrete played a crucial role in overcoming all these challenges.
“Using precast concrete provided a highly resilient facade for Wildflower Studios,” said Elizabeth Strohl, business development manager and marketing director at Universal Concrete Products. “The location along the Luyster Creek inlet of the East River also had the added requirement of a facade capable of withstanding flood loads, including debris impact.”
The project used 916 insulated precast concrete panels, each manufactured as sandwich panels with an inner layer of insulation. Thanks to their design, the sandwich panels provide excellent acoustic insulation, effectively mitigating external noise and vibrations. The sandwich panels also helped the project meet energy efficiency standards by reducing heat loss. By maintaining a stable interior temperature, the building reduces reliance on heating and cooling systems, thereby lowering energy consumption and operational costs.
Each of the facade’s precast concrete panels features an exposed aggregate and sandblast finish, adding both aesthetic appeal and functional benefits. With a dark exterior finish, checkerboard pattern, and chevron shapes, the precast concrete panels create varied visual effects as sunlight changes throughout the day. This design, in combination with the exposed aggregate and sand-blasted finish on the panels, gives Wildflower Studios a modern and sophisticated appearance.
In addition to visual flair, the use of precast concrete panels brought several other advantages to the project. According to Strohl, construction time for the facade was greatly reduced because the panels were prefabricated. Using precast concrete also helped the structural engineer and steel contractor coordinate the concurrent erection of the steel and precast concrete components. Among the logistical complexities of facade installation was the need for many panels to be picked from more than 200 ft away over the top of ongoing operations at the adjacent Steinway & Sons piano factory. The team’s careful attention to this process was necessary for the work to proceed safely and efficiently.
With a strong, durable, and aesthetically pleasing exterior and a compelling vertical design, Wildflower Studios is a unique facility in New York City that showcases a wide range of precast concrete’s capabilities.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |