Situated on the edge of the industrially rich site of Red Hook, the factory processes bamboo into laminated veneer furniture (first floor) and bast-fiber fabric (second floor). The plan is divided into structural spans of 60, 45, and 30 feet that correspond to material processing in triple-, double-, and single-height spaces on the first, second, and third floors, respectively. A reference to the woven nature of the textile, the previously porous urban fabric of Red Hook, the winding pattern of circulation on the ground floor, and the intersection between the two products in furniture upholstery, the roof is separated into strips that undulate in counterpoint. The differences between the crest and trough of adjacent strips create gaps that draw indirect light into the factory: a variation of the saw-tooth typology common among factories. The same gaps also enclose the publically accessible third-floor programs, including a canteen, offices, break rooms, and workshops. The alternation among the different spans generates a light-accentuated spatial metaphor for the pace of work. The rhythm of the spans and the corresponding undulation of the roof is interrupted thrice by unenclosed corridors that extend adjacent urban axes from Smith Street, through the factory, and onto the Gowanus Canal.
