Say hello to the “first vertical film studio in the world.” Bjarke Ingels Group, or BIG, will soon begin construction on the 760,000 square-foot film studio in Queens. New York developer Wildflower Ltd. worked with actor Robert De Niro, his son Raphael De Niro (who works as a real estate broker), and Jane Rosenthal, a film producer, to develop the $600 million project.
The structure will be built on a five-acre site in Astoria and will stand 44 meters, or almost 150 feet tall, taking an unusual form for this building type. Aside from its height, the project will also include New York’s “first purpose-built production soundstage.” The designers believe that the organization of this project will change the way films are created here. “The vertical media production village will be home to storytellers working across all mediums—a three-dimensional hub of collaboration, creativity, and innovation,” says Ingels.
Included in the building are 11 studio modules each equipped with large stages and necessary production programs such as prop shops, dressing rooms, and other support spaces. Terraces break up the fiber-cement panel façade to allow daylight into the building while creating pockets of green spaces which allow folks to look out at views of New York.
A large entrance follows the same cut-back language of these openings and accommodates one entrance for pedestrians and another for “back of house” programs. These sweeping gestures elegantly break up the monumental building, which includes 150,000 square feet of solar panels and is raised to prevent any major flooding.
For more work by these designers, read this guide to our 10 favorite projects by Bjarke Ingels Group. Or, learn more about their recent projects like a 3D-printed habitat for life on Mars, an observation tower inspired by a strand of DNA, and a bold new city called Telosa, designed for life in the desert.
Introducing the world’s first vertical film studio by Bjarke Ingels Group.
Construction will soon begin on the 760,000 square-foot film studio in Queens, which actor Robert De Niro helped develop.
