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National Sawdust – A Brooklyn Music Venue

National Sawdust – A Brooklyn Music Venue

National Sawdust – A Brooklyn Music Venue
A Fire Rated Vertically Lifting Acoustic Door

Architect: Bureau V
Acoustician: Arup
Contractor: Alcon

Summary: National Sawdust is an unparalleled, artist-led, non-profit music venue. The project was supported by a model of philanthropic investors and is located in Brooklyn, NY.

Clark Door provided an STC 56 high performance vertical lift door, designed with a 3D printed and laser cut raised cladding. The door opens with a dramatic slow reveal of the performance space, as people migrate in from the lobby and bar.

The project was a transformation of a century old sawdust factory to a unique music venue. Bureau V approached Clark Door Ltd to address the challenges in performance requirement and wall space limitation. The Clark Door solution is a sliding door which takes up minimal side room and uses the 'dead' space above the door opening to house the header track, which along with the counterbalance is hidden in a 'pocket' in the wall.

The architects wanted the door to be finished in a custom cladding so the Clark Door design team worked closely with the architect and contractor to ensure the thickness, weight and fixing points for the cladding was incorporated into the design of the door prior to manufacture to ensure the acoustical integrity of the door. After installation, ARUP conducted an in-field acoustic test and reported the door to have met their STC56 acoustical requirements.

Upon entering the lobby, patrons encounter a bar area with double-height, sculptural space. As the performance begins the CDL 10ft x 10ft door slowly ascends to reveal the chamber hall. The door then closes to seal the room acoustically prior to performances.

The architects Bureau V worked closely with ARUP acoustics and theatre  teams to design an acoustically versatile music venue which could accommodate, with a wrap-around balcony, up to 350 guests. With variable stage configurations from flush with the floor to double-height National Sawdust can hold a 70-piece orchestra for rehearsals and recordings.

National Sawdust has just received The American Architecture Award for 2016 from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture and Design and Urban Studies.

  • CDL provided 2 hour NFPA fire rating and STC 56 performance in one door system.
  • The CDL Engineers met the challenge of fastening the door system to the performance space walls, which is essentially a sound isolating 'floating cube' within the building’s walls.
  • CDL was challenged to provide a limited space door system, while maintaining access for maintenance. 

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National Sawdust Case Study Image 1
National Sawdust Case Study Image 1

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