Fabrika fishtown

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

STATUS: Complete

YEAR: 2020

Fabrika is an 11,000 SF dinner theater with commercial kitchen, dining room, stage, private event space, and lounge/restrooms. The project is located in a mixed-use neighborhood in Northern Liberties, designed to fit into a complex of several existing historic buildings previously used as an ice cream machine factory. The space was adapted to the new use by hanging upper-level balconies from the existing heavy steel beams, leaving a column free space below and with all seats enjoying a sightline to the stage below.

The design provides an accessible route to all spaces using a LULA (limited use) elevator, ramps, and lifts, all placed for convenience yet in inconspicuous locations. The roof of the building incorporates several layers of insulation and mass to prevent sound from escaping the structure.

The sound performance was verified during construction for conformance to the required neighborhood noise levels. The project required a land use variance and board of building standards variances for combining buildings on a single lot.