caliper studio: nitehawk cinema and apartments, brooklyn

‘nitehawk cinema and apartments’ by caliper studio, williamsburg, brooklyn, new yorkimage © ty coleall images courtesy of caliper studio

a total design by local firm and fabricator caliper studio, ‘nitehawk cinema‘ is williamsburg’s only first-run movie house. the creative hub, located in the westernmost portion of brooklyn, new york, has experienced astounding development in recent decades, both from an influx of creative professionals and consequential gentrification. the movie theater keeps with the metropolitan need for vertical density and mixed used buildings by primarily offering new yorkers a cinema eatery, complete with bars, cafes and a commercial kitchen topped by three floors of residential apartments.

all the dwellings have access to outdoor space through a shared courtyard or private roof deck at the penthouse level, a rarity in an area with such highly sought realty. the cinema  has managed to change local culture, having been the force that single-handedly overturned a new york state prohibition era law that disallowed the consumption of alcohol in movie theaters. the independent theater also sought to make a mark on the landscape while integrating the area’s local brownstone architectural typology. while the turn-of-century style favors triassic sandstone masonry, the nitehawk’s facade breaks a strict orthogonal brick storefront with a zinc, LED and glass facade. caliper studio fabricated the skin of patterned, manually cast glass lights and CNC milled 247 unique zinc panels. the result is an exuberant architectural gesture that begins to hint at the ever-changing but always shared cinematic experience.  

the cinema and apartments total about 23,000 square feet of space image © ty cole

the LED skin is a bright, but restrainted break from the surrounding vernacular buildingsimage © ty cole

zinc plates were CNC milled to fit the pattern of cast glass lights image © ty cole

the lights have a presence both during the day and at night image © ty cole

three storeys of apartments top the movie house image © ty cole

brick meets zincimage © ty cole

the linear awning element was also designed and fabricated by caliper studio image © ty cole

view of the second floor bar and concession stand image © ty cole

ground floor bar image © ty cole

interior view image © ty cole

staircase to lobby and ticketing area image © ty cole

theater three image © ty cole

theater one image © ty cole

interior view of one of theater two image © ty cole

fabrication and installation of the LED facadeimage © ty cole

image © ty cole

the facade is a network of lighting nodes

image © ty cole

detail of LED lights texture

image © ty cole

PATTERN EVOLUTION from Caliper Studio on Vimeo.

plan cellar floor 

floor plan level 0 

floor plan level 1 

plan level 2

1. junction box
2. electrical conduit
3. continuous galvanized steel angle for mounting panels
4. air barrier
5. zinc window header
6. 20″ galvanized bent steel angle mounted to structural stud
7. 3-diode LED module
8. custom cast glass lens with frosted back
9. zinc building trim
10. zinc window jamb
11. zinc window sill
12. pre-weathered zinc cassette panel

over 200 unique CNC files for the zinc facade

section perspective