Massive Flash Factory night club built from salvaged materials opens tonight

A new 10,000-square-foot venue in Chelsea is reviving cast-off building materials in an effort to do the same for Manhattan's dwindling music scene. The brainchild of nightlife mavens Mike Satsky and Brian Gefter, <a href="http://flashfactoryny.com/">Flash Factory</a> aims to breathe new life into the old <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/shadow-club-new-york">Shadow night club</a> space with its multi-chamber "interactive forest" built from salvaged elements. Inhabitat recently got a sneak peek inside the <a href="http://www.hechoinc.com/">Hecho Inc.</a>-designed wonderland of sound ahead of its opening tonight. Come along with us as we explore the space's imaginative use of recycled materials.

When complete, <a href="http://flashfactoryny.com/">Flash Factory</a>, located at 229 West 28th Street, will be one of the city's largest night clubs with 10,000 square feet of room to revel. But what makes the venue unique is its deviation from the glossy finishes and flashy LED screens favored by many other New York dance halls. Instead, the cavernous space has been fitted with reclaimed materials that lived past lives in various places of congregation like schools, churches and masonic lodges. The overall effect is like stepping inside of an ancient hall adorned with modern artifacts; sort of a more refined take on the "<a href="http://ruinpubs.com/">ruin pubs</a>" of Budapest.

The FF Theater is the club's largest expanse and is characterized by intricate overhead arches laser-cut from ultra-light MDF.

"The arches are one of the only new elements in the space," said Ian Mueller of <a href="http://www.hechoinc.com/">Hecho Inc.</a>

When backlit with LED strip lights, the architectural elements will appear to float above the crowd.

Reclaimed stained glass panels displayed within steel window frames procured from a factory in Upstate New York add a hallowed feeling to the space. The DJ booth will also be adorned by a 20-by-15-foot stained glass window rescued from an old church.

Those wanting to take a break from dancing can head over to the FF Lounge and take a seat on the reclaimed temple benches.

The bar is embedded with crosses sourced from a church in the Bronx.

The space also features a unique sculptural element crafted from trees cut from an Hecho founder's own property.

The tables in the space are made of old sand-casting forms topped with acrylic sheets.

The cabanas are made of removable and repositionable seating made from old church pews.

The unique build-out took over 2 1/2 years at a cost of over $6 million.

Hecho selected fun vintage wallpapers to add texture to the walls.

A row of recycled doors adds color to the walls.

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