bjarke ingels group brings wildflower film studios to nyc
Located in Astoria, New York, Wildflower Studios is a new vertical film production complex designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The development is led by Robert De Niro and establishes a new urban typology for filmmaking in Queens’s dense industrial landscape.
Film studios are traditionally organized across expansive ground-level lots, each stage accessed directly by truck. In Queens, where space is constrained, Bjarke Ingels Group condensed that familiar model into a vertical arrangement — stacking sound stages and production spaces to form what the architects describe as a ‘studio village.’ The design rethinks the logistics of production, integrating movement, delivery, and collaboration within a reduced footprint that reflects the spatial realities of the city. See designboom’s previous coverage here!
images © Laurian Ghinițoiu
a vertically-stacked building of eleven modules
The program is composed of eleven studio modules, each containing a large-span stage, vertical transport, and support spaces including dressing rooms and scene shops. Organized in two-story rows within a single volume, the modules are connected by a central spine that acts as the building’s internal street. This shared corridor forms the social core of the complex, linking stages with offices and communal terraces while drawing daylight deep into the structure.
One entire floor of Wildflower Studios is dedicated to office and production support, while additional spaces like cafés and fitness areas encourage collaboration among actors, writers, and technical crews. This hybrid environment creates a working community among the practical infrastructure of filmmaking.
Wildflower Studios rises in Astoria, Queens as a new vertical model for film production
a ‘floating village’ in astoria
Clad in precast concrete panels, the 145-foot-tall building changes character as sunlight shifts across its angled facade. Two open-air terraces cut into the envelope, offering framed views toward the Manhattan skyline and a direct connection to the waterfront. The roof supports a 150,000-square-foot solar array, supplying power and demonstrating the project’s environmental intent.
BIG lifts the structure above the floodplain, allowing service vehicles to operate beneath the building and freeing the street edge for public access. The site design extends this openness with a walkway along the creek, creating a connection between the industrial block and the riverfront. The overall form is described by the architects as a ‘floating village.’
Folded planes in the facade open the building to daylight and break down its massing, linking interior circulation routes to the outdoor terraces and public realm. Within, the continuous envelope creates a sense of cohesion across the various stages and workspaces.
BIG reimagines the traditional horizontal sound stage as a compact stack for the city
the modules form a dense production village tailored to the spatial constraints of New York City
the building integrates cafés and lounges to encourage collaboration among production teams
a central spine connects stages, offices, and communal terraces to bring daylight deep inside
the structure is elevated above the floodplain, creating sheltered loading areas and a public walkway below
open air terraces lend views of the Manhattan skyline and direct access to the waterfront
project info:
name: Wildflower Film Studios
architect: Bjarke Ingels Group | @big_builds
location: Astoria, Queens, New York, NY
previous coverage: September 2019, February 2022
photography: © Laurian Ghinițoiu | @laurianghinitoiu
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