Pines Pavilion

New York firm HWKN has given a new vitality to a fire island nightlife mainstay with their newly unveiled design for the iconic Pines Pavilion Fire Island. After a 2011 fire ravaged the legendary social hotspot, owners saw fit to revitalize the energetic social hub into a considered extension of the boardwalk and reframed nexus of the gay community. The architecture seeks to balance the equally important aim of preserving the relaxed, yet vibrant, energy of the pavilion with the overarching idea that Fire Island is an environmentally luscious escape from city life. Aside from the totally sensory experience of the wide-grain wooden material palette, the third iteration of the club sports two stories of outdoor terraces to accommodate ‘low tea’ casual afternoon casual drinking and ‘high tea’ late night energy. Program volumes are interlocking puzzle pieces that blend the boundary between interior and exterior spaces. Benches, wide staircases and storefronts activate the ground level in addition to the sculptural skin of the structure that stretches the public zone of the boardwalk. An internal loop of stairs weaves the volumes together, in particular the grand gesture of the high tea terrace that affords ideal views of the harbor. Subtly angled spaces reframe interior views and external lines of sight as well as play with levels of intimacy within the space. Architectural elements become opportunities for social interaction- even the dance space is elegantly graced with a gradient of 7 foot tall bleachers, optimal for people and landscape watching. Planimetrically open to all sides the pavilion is an place intensely optimized for mingling and informal interaction, but moreover a materially honest architecture centered on community and the creation of life-enriching memories.