Month: December 2008

Event: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Structural Evaluation and Repairs
Location: The Center for Architecture, NYC; 12.16.08
Speakers: Nancy Hudson — Robert Silman Associates
Organizers: Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY)

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright recently completed an extensive, three-year renovation. Conducted by Robert Silman Associates Structural Engineers (RSA), the comprehensive structural assessment focused on the cantilevered ramps supported by radial walls that define the museum’s Main Rotunda. As an expression of reinforced concrete structural elements, restoring the cast-in-place concrete and sprayed gunite was no small feat — especially when attempting to stay true to Wright’s vision.

RSA’s analysis included $20 million-worth of structural analysis, repair, reconfigured mechanical work, and restored glazing and skylights. To preserve the building, the investigation involved laser scanning, non-destructive evaluation, probes, material testing by ICR (a coating evaluation program) and structural monitoring. A “Shell Model System” was constructed from laser scan data to investigate the museum’s as-built conditions. This finite elemental model mathematically examined existing geometry and material properties to analyze the structure under dead and live loads, as well as wind and temperature loads.

Results from the testing revealed deficiencies created by the original construction, such as voids in web walls and cracking. Because it was required that the museum stay open during the entire renovation process, and to stay as true as possible to Wright’s design intention, exterior repairs were limited. Carbon fiber reinforcing, steel brackets, and dampers were installed in the interior walls to allow the building to move more freely while maintaining the exterior’s smooth finish.

Christian Bergner, Assoc. AIA, currently works at Caples Jefferson Architects, having previously worked with Studio Daniel Libeskind. Bergner is also a member of the AIANY Emerging NY Architects (ENYA) Committee and seeks LEED accreditation.

Event: OOZing Public Workshop, a project by Natalie Jeremijenko
Location: Van Alen Institute, 12.04.08
Speakers: Natalie Jeremijenko — Van Alen Institute New York Prize Fellow 2008-2009
Organizer: Van Alen Institute, in partnership with the Social Science Research Council

OOZing, by Van Alen Institute New York Prize Fellow Natalie Jeremijenko, seeks to identify productive cohabitation between animals and humans in the city. “Zoo” spelled backwards (and “without cages,” as the artist and engineer stated), OOZ is a project that she hopes will challenge society and policy makers to redefine the role of non-humans in the urban landscape.

Jeremijenko dismisses the notion that nature is “out there somewhere” else; instead, humans are part of a natural system and must acknowledge socio-ecological relationships to improve urban conditions. Recent sightings of coyote in Central Park and wild turkey on Staten Island are intrinsically natural, she stated. Jeremijenko believes that the zoological model of collecting species in categorical boxes opposes the natural state of biodiversity and creates a separation between humans and animals.

“We screwed up,” she said, referring to current climate and food crises. Her work seeks to amend that error by using technology to investigate social change. With a touch of humor, Jeremijenko’s experiments include a bat detector, a rhinoceros beetle wrestling device, and toilet facilities for pigeons. Those who interact with her work build new relationships with the animals, thus leading to a different understanding of the creatures. This is necessary to move forward and improve the environment, she believes. Rather than observing animals through a simulated ecosystem in a zoo or whispering around them in a park, Jeremijenko boldly asserts: “Perhaps we can do something, and perhaps it could be good.”

Jacqueline Pezzillo, LEED AP, is the communications manager at Davis Brody Bond Aedas and a regular contributor to e-Oculus.

As 2008 comes to a close, there’s no question that the economy is the top concern for architects. With countless layoffs at firms, few new projects being announced, and Federal funding for current projects waning, the full impact of the economic downturn and how the profession will be affected has yet to be seen. The only ways to sustain until better times, in my opinion, is for design professionals to band together and provide as much support for each other as possible. After attending the “Not Business as Usual” discussion at the Center for Architecture, I know I am not alone.

Spearheaded by AIANY Secretary Abby Suckle, FAIA, LEED AP, the premise of the session was to brainstorm ideas about how individuals and firms can stay afloat. Some in attendance represented media outlets that are willing to offer free classifieds to those looking for part-time employees, to rent out empty desks, or to post resumes. Others offered their time for portfolio and resume reviews, or to meet with firms and help coach on maintaining clients. Participants encouraged unemployed designers with more free time to get involved with politics or volunteer for organizations like Architecture for Humanity.

One thing is clear: the AIANY Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation are committed in the coming months to transform the Center for Architecture into a nucleus for information, accommodating the changing needs of design professionals. The Center itself may become a resource for job listings and space-sharing postings (designers looking for work can already upload their resumes online). It may host training sessions, from test preparation, to software training, to how-to discussions on topics such as working with public agencies and putting together successful presentations. Starting in February, the Chapter is launching an ARE Boot Camp for those studying for ARE exams, with significant discounts for AIA members (for more information, e-mail Suzanne Mecs). The discussion focused on how the Center can grow by offering more day-time events and, in essence, becoming a “Starbucks for architects,” a place for people looking for work to connect with people looking for employees.

While more brainstorming discussions are planned, follow-through is essential. Anyone with ideas or suggestions can contact Suzanne Mecs. It was encouraging that many great ideas were brought to the table, and it seemed as if many were willing to donate their time to the effort. Hopefully, the Center for Architecture will become a hotbed for the profession in new ways to carry us all through these tough times.

In this issue:
· Space Used as Teaching Tool in New School
· Village Gate Opens Doors Again as Le Poisson Rouge
· W Creates Wow Factor
· Hotel Uses Small Site to Let In Light
· Stony Brook Wirelessly Paves Way for High-Tech Research
· New Smells Emanate from NJ
· Events Set Sail in Atlantic City

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Space Used as Teaching Tool in New School

Karl Fischer Architect, with interior designers and project coordinators DIA/WRKS and Wonder Works Construction and Development, have begun work on the Green Beginnings Academy & Arts Center, a pre-school located at the luxury multi-family development, Clinton Greens on West 51st Street. The school will use 8,000 square feet of space on the ground level and second floor to accommodate up to 100 students from six months to five years of age. Upon completion, the school will be one of a handful of pre-schools in the U.S. that subscribe to the Italian Reggio Emilia philosophy of teaching. Working with this educational approach, physical space is a primary element, and art is an integral part of the curriculum — many Reggio Emilia schools have dedicated art rooms staffed by full-time art teachers. The school is expected to be open for the Spring 2009 semester.

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Village Gate Opens Doors Again as Le Poisson Rouge

Architectural design and acoustic consulting firm Walters-Storyk Design Group has completed a redesign the former Village Gate, transforming it into a new club, Le Poisson Rouge. The club functions in three distinct configurations: fixed stage with table seating for 250 patrons of jazz, rock, and big band ensembles; an open dance space for 550 on a 23-foot-diameter hardwood sprung floor; and a performance-in-the-round setting, with a movable center stage, for acoustic, blues, or classical music. The club has two elevated VIP opera boxes and two private entrances as well. In addition to the flexible performance space, the club has two cinema-sized screens with surround sound. A fully soundproofed lounge adjacent to the performance space can hold approximately 130 guests.

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W Creates Wow Factor

BBG-BBGM has completed the renovation of the W New York at 541 Lexington Avenue, the hotel’s the first renovation since it opened 10 years ago. According to the architects, guest rooms and specialty suites have been infused with what they’ve coined wow. Each room was designed as a modernized interpretation of nature using scale, transparency, and graphics. Beds wrapped in zebrawood, are the focal point of the rooms, and wow design elements include custom-designed headboards with backlit, sensual photos in silhouette. Duplex suites have a double-height ceiling, a second-story loft bedroom, dark hardwood floors, and custom-designed, backlit acrylic panels featuring abstract tree forms. The extreme suites include wraparound outdoor terraces, teak flooring, oversized daybeds, and solid raw cedar cocoon chairs.

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Hotel Uses Small Site to Let In Light

Construction recently began on the Linden Hotel, a 16,000-square-foot, 38-room hotel in East New York, Brooklyn, designed by Lang Architecture. To maximize the small site, an atrium opens the building to light and views. Stairs and bridges span the atrium, providing access to guest rooms and a breakfast area on the lower level. The building is constructed from an interlocking polycarbonate system combined with expanded metal mesh to form an intermittently transparent, translucent, and opaque curtain wall that will change character throughout the day.

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Stony Brook Wirelessly Paves Way for High-Tech Research

Construction has been completed on the Mitchell/Giurgola Architects-designed Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) at Stony Brook University on Long Island. CEWIT is a $250 million government/industry/academic partnership leading the next wave of the wireless and info-tech industries. The 100,000-square-foot facility will operate as a research center focusing on wireless networking and traffic management, effective bandwidth utilization, pervasive and high-speed computing, radio and digital communication, 3-D visualization, ad-hoc networks, digital signal processing, cyber security, wireless reality, computer vision, networks, virtual reality, bioinformatics, expressive networks, data mining, and computational neuroscience.

The structure is a mix of flexible, open lab space and supporting offices. Incubator space for private industry initiatives has also been incorporated, in addition to a clean room, an anechoic chamber, and a large multi-purpose space. The new center is part of a statewide economic strategy to make NY — and specifically Long Island — an innovative, global hub for the high-tech industry. The center is intended to anchor the new campus and district, where private/public partnerships can aid the design and production of new industry-leading products and concepts.

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New Smells Emanate from NJ

Montroy Andersen DeMarco completed the 150,000-square-foot East Hanover, NJ, corporate campus for Givaudan, a Swiss-based flavor and fragrance company. Five years in the planning, the $28 million renovation features the company’s two-building concept — one for commercial and corporate offices and the other for fragrance development. Instead of building a new facility (the initial plan), Givaudan relocated in an office building that had been constructed with a “split plan,” which solved many of the design challenges. The two- and three-story buildings, for offices and development respectively, are connected with a centrally located lobby atrium. “Odor booths” — areas completely impermeable to external odors — were constructed of a specially designed metal-and-glass partition system. Green elements include open plans, natural lighting, energy-efficient Low-e glass and fiber-optic lighting, sustainable bamboo flooring, and an automated climate monitoring and control system.

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Events Set Sail in Atlantic City

Designed by mUSE Architects, One Atlantic is an independent event venue in Atlantic City that stretches 300 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. Floor-to-ceiling windows maximize ocean views from every room. The project includes 10,000 square feet of interior event space and a 2,500-square-foot terrace. The main space offers views of the ocean and Atlantic City skyline. Reflective sail-like coffered ceilings, natural cork flooring, limed oak wood, and sheer gold drapes are intended to create a maritime feel. The venue is expected to open its doors in summer 2009.

In an effort to understand the state of sustainability in the U.S. design and construction industries today, students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design have posted an online survey, “Sustainability in Design Practice.” Survey respondents will have access to the results after January 12, 2009. The students hosting the survey are Elizabeth Christoforetti, Justin Lavallee, Katie Powell, Christopher Sherwin, Holly Wasilowski, and Megan Wright.