CLADDING CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of Neolith

Project: 570 Broome
Location: New York City, New York
Architect: builtd

The Project: Standing at nearly 330 feet tall in downtown New York City is 570 Broome, a brand-new 25-story building nestled between bustling Soho and Hudson Square. This marvel of modern design, clad with a stunning glazed curtain wall, consists of 54 luxury boutique residential units as well as a commercial component at ground level. The skyscraper, designed by Manhattan architectural firm builtd, is inspired by its setting: a whimsical combination of contemporary and contextual elements which define its environment.

The Challenge: The design team needed an ideal material for this project which would be using a ventilated facade. Tahir Demircioglu of the design firm of builtd, noted that they used the assistance of Megaker, the makers of an inorganic, porous skeleton structure. Their goal was to collectively design and document the perfect cladding system with the precision of a Swiss watch.

The Solution: Sintered stone was specified across the whole facade, framing three-stories high expanses of glass which capture spectacular vistas of downtown and the Hudson River. The overall design is symbolic of NYC’s rich history by way of the tower’s soaring ceiling heights and a silhouette evocative of staggered cubes.

he design team recognized that sintered stone has become known as one of the safest, most hygienic, and sustainable materials available to specifiers, without compromising on performance and visual appeal.

The Results: James Amendola, vice president for Neolith North America, observes, “There can be no doubt that this is a game changer in the way that we approach urban planning and construction. We believe this will have a highly positive impact on the lives of both 570 Broome’s residents and New York City citizens in general. Hopefully this example will encourage other architects and specifiers globally to adhere to the same criteria and consider greener facade options for future high-rise projects."

ALUMINUM TRIM CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of Tamlyn

Project: 3900 Adeline
Location: Emeryville, California
Architect: Levy Design Partners

The Project: Like a lot of projects that were shelved during the housing crash, the mixed-used development called 3900 Adeline in Emeryville, California, had some trouble getting restarted when it was resurrected in 2010. Located in a transitioning industrial neighborhood, the project called for an existing one-story light industrial building to be replaced with 101 for-rent residential and live/work units as well as 1,000 square feet of retail space.

The Challenge: The budget needed to work for this project. “It was right when people were emerging from the crisis, but banks were still nervous about rental properties," says Toby Levy, FAIA, principal at Levy Design Partners, which designed the project. “Since it wasn’t a premier location, it was very scrutinized."

The Solution: Levy had to make some tough decisions. Rather than the extensive use of metal siding as had been planned, she had to go with more budget-friendly cement fiberboard. But she was still determined to maintain the clean, modern lines she originally envisioned. “Once you make the decision to use mostly cement fiber, the question is, how do you make it look a little different and how do you do it to scale?” Levy found answers to both questions in extruded aluminum trim. “You’re always looking for inventive ways to create interest and scale while not blowing the budget, she said. “In this case, it did all those things.” Getting all the trim from the same manufacturer also helped keep costs — and construction problems — low, she says. “There’s nothing worse than getting one piece of trim from one place and another from somewhere else, she says. “You don’t know whether they’ll take paint the same, bend the same, or work the same.” Part of the reason the trim worked so well was that it came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to fit with the cement panel’s varied range of thicknesses, Levy says. “We were pleased to find there were some unusual trim pieces as well as regular trim pieces that worked with it. This was not a project where we could have invented our own trim–it had to be off the shelf.” Levy relied most on 4-inch trim pieces. She placed those between the 2-foot-wide cement fiberboards to add interest and break up the siding. Then she used corner V trim pieces to give the edges a thoroughly modern square edge. “You would have the trim piece anyhow and we got an extra bit of look with that same piece,” she says. “That’s the name of the game — making these inherently flat-looking cement panels have more interest.”

The Results: Now that Levy knows herself how well the aluminum trim works, she plans to keep it in her architectural bag of budget tricks. “It did what it said it was supposed to do and it performed like we expected it to perform. It gave more scale. It gave more interest,” she says. “And it was a very inexpensive way to do it.”

FENESTRATION SYSTEM CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of Azon; © Paul Cosby Architectural Photography

Project: Baker Center
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Architect: RSP Architects, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Project: Located in downtown Minneapolis, which averages 53-in. of snowfall per year— double the average snowfall of the United States—–the historic Baker Center offers more than a million square feet of mixed retail and office space. The historic structure is actually a composite of four Art Deco buildings.

The Challenge: Three of the center’s original buildings—the Baker Building, the Roanoke Building and the Investors Building—were built in the 1920s. The fourth piece of the complex—the 730 Building—was constructed in 1968. The challenge was pulling them all together with a single facade that would not only look sleek but also produce excellent thermal performance against the tough northern winters. Further complicating matters was the absence of original architectural drawings. There were also different construction techniques used during various retrofits and remodeling of each building over the past several decades.

The Design Solution: The Baker Center project team modernized the 93-year-old downtown icon, while maintaining some of its history through design elements. “The goal of the Baker Center design was to honor the historic aspects of the buildings, while creating unique modern spaces to support today’s mobile worker,” stated David Serrano, AIA, a principal with RSP, the architectural firm heading up the design. “The result takes advantage of the art deco bones of the building, while introducing forward-thinking amenities like the media wall in the lobby, a concierge desk and rooftop deck.” In addressing the building exterior, the architects designed a new facade to both create a visually cohesive presence and address the needed energy performance. The main entrance at the corner of 8th and Marquette Street showcases an exterior with a sleek glass lobby enclosed with a storefront system that is detailed and specified for energy performance. In particular, a pour and debridge thermal barrier system was incorporated into a dual pocket storefront system. The building’s dramatic corner design, from the fourth floor to the top floor, is comprised of a high-performance curtain wall system. Using structural aluminum fenestration materials with polyurethane polymer thermal barriers, along with solar control low-e glazing helps to optimize energy performance in this commercial building thus increasing comfort and lowering operational costs. The curtainwall and storefront framing used are ideal for both cold and warm conditions providing high energy efficiency and condensation resistance.

The Results: “It was a logistically challenging project,” admits Scott Ide, Brin Contract Glazing. “Now that the project’s completed, everybody’s happy with it,” reports Ide. “It’s a better performing building with a dramatically improved look.”