Due to a devastating fire last November, New York architects HWKN (Hollwich Kushner) have been commissioned by FIP Ventures to redesign and rebuild the legendary Pavilion dance club of Fire Island Pines. Located just four miles off the coast of Long Island, the popular gay resort welcomes over 800,000 summer visitor each year. The wooden pavilion will be the harbor’s main attraction, welcoming visitors as they arrive by ferry with two, lively stories of outdoor terrace and a “Welcome Bar”.
“Although the new building will have the same envelope and mix of uses as its predecessor, the similarities end there,” says Matthew Blesso, developer and managing partner of FIP Ventures. “The Pavilion will be in context with other Pines architecture. It will be made of wood and be modern and casual, yet bold and iconic. It is the first thing visitors see when getting off the ferry, and we’ve envisioned it to be the heart of the Pines community.”
“We designed the new Pavilion around the community and experiences at Fire Island,” says Matthias Hollwich, co-founder of HWKN. “The building forms intimate public spaces out of a single volume. It is carved and rutted like a piece of driftwood washed ashore by the sea.”
The dynamic façade creates a three-dimensional experience by incorporating the public boardwalk up into the building facade. Benches, wide staircases and storefronts will activate the base while an entrance, formed by a set of bleachers, will provide a viewing platform, stage, wedding chapel and extended dance floor. The ground floor “Welcome Bar”, the high-tea terrace and the Pavilion Club will all be connected by an internal loop of stairs.
Although the FIP Ventures’ Canteen building, Pool Deck, bulkhead and boardwalk were also damaged by the fire, all repairs have been completed. Blesso and Charles Renfro of Diller Scofidio + Renfro are currently leading the overhaul of the master plan in order to reevaluate all of the surrounding real estate.
Construction on the HWKN-designed Pavilion will begin in June and expected for completion in the Spring of 2013.
Architects: HWKN (Hollwich Kushner) Project: Fire Island Pines Pavilion Location: Fire Island Pines, Fire Island, New York Owner: FIP Ventures Developer: Blesso Properties Architecture Principals: Matthias Hollwich + Marc Kushner Architecture Team: Tim Aarsen, Jamie Abrego, Egbert Chu, Agnieszka Wojciechowicz, Clare Reidy, Gregory Nakata, Mark Paz Expected Completion: Spring 2013
