The renovation had to make visible the ambitions of the institution and level of care, intentionality, and passion L’Alliance brings to their mission. At the same time the project needed to be incredibly resourceful with a tight budget and nimble with an extremely fast renovation timeline.

The design proposed a fresh material palette that celebrates the French inhabitants and Francophone culture while re-using as much of the base building infrastructure and utilities as possible to control costs. Materials that are low-maintenance, high-performance, sustainable, appropriate for the current needs of the space, yet flexible enough for future adaptability, and celebrate French culture were selected.

French white oak floors were sourced from a forest in Brie, just outside of Paris. Adding warmth and bouncing light into the space, while also resilient enough for dance classes, wine tastings, or large receptions. To improve the acoustics of the space, the kitchen and service pavilion was clad in natural felt panels. A large, removable countertop at the hidden kitchen window was fabricated of three inch thick cork, to serve as a bar for frequent wine tastings and catered events. To provide flexibility for different event configurations one wall of the event space was painted with a scenic white paint suitable for use as a projection surface. A portable A/V booth was crafted of the same French white oak as the floors wrapping up its faces to house the wide range of audio-visual equipment previously set up ad-hoc for different functions within the space.

The L’Alliance New York Le Skyroom is both a multi-purpose event space and a spark of momentum for the organization’s next chapter.