A 121,059-sf, nine-story building located at 287 South Park Avenue in New York City’s Gramercy Park neighborhood is undergoing a makeover to become a modern office building.
Spagnolo Group Architecture (SGA), the lead architect for the project, is making use of virtual design and construction (VDC) technology to help design, construct, market, and manage the redevelopment. Through the use of the VDC technology, SGA is able to visualize the building improvements and make design changes in real time.
“Our use of VDC technology lets us identify optimum layouts for potential tenants and demonstrate a variety of layout possibilities in three dimensions,” says Brooks Kendall Slocum, Studio Manager, SGA, in a release. “With an understanding of the tenants’ requirements, we can more easily customize layouts in the early stages of design and present them in a visual style that is easy to understand.”
As part of the redesign, all building systems for the project will be upgraded. The upgrades include new HVAC, perimeter heating, telecom, electric, plumbing, fire protection, and an advanced BMS system. Additionally, a new stair core will be created.
The improved building will feature 14-foot ceilings and two lobby entrances with lacquered wood, chiseled limestone, grey marble, brushed granite, and stainless steel finishes. Each office floor will provide about 13,000 sf of space. Arched windows on all four facades will provide the office space with abundant natural light. A penthouse floor will include 22-foot ceilings, an 85-foot skylight, and a private roof terrace.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2018.
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ
With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
New air-conditioning design standard allows for increased air speed to cool building interiors
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 - Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy—after months of study and discussion--has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Free-span solar energy system installed at REM Eyewear headquarters
The first cable-suspended free-span solar energy system was completed today over the REM Eyewear headquarters parking lot in Sun Valley, Calif. The patented, cable-supported photovoltaic system created by P4P Energy is expected to generate 40,877 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power five to six single family homes and to prevent 1.5 million pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
