STRUCTURAL SYSTEM CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of New Millennium Building Systems

The project: This 326-unit, seven-story project in a historic but very up-and-coming part of Houston offers studios and one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 627 square feet to 1,427 square feet. As part of the attractive amenities that enhance a sense of community and luxury, it also features a fitness studio with virtual exercise classes, conference center, resident lounge, game room, a dog spa, and lower level on-site parking.

The design: Since space and a sense of openness, including 10-foot-high ceilings, were important design considerations, the structural system was foremost on the designers’ minds from the outset. A common approach to floor design is the use of 3-inch steel deck, providing 13 to 14 foot spans. However, this method could not meet the project’s requirement for 21-foot unsupported spans without increasing slab heights. Thicker slabs would have resulted in added building height and material costs. To answer the design challenge, the architects worked early on with a steel supplier and its engineering team. Together, they recommended a long-span composite floor system, featuring a composite dovetail 2-inch steel deck profile with poured concrete on top. This system created narrow floors that extend unsupported up to 28 feet wall to wall. Living spaces were freed up by open spans and more space-efficient floor-to-ceiling heights.

The construction: The support structure for the project uses cold-formed steel load-bearing walls. With the walls and shoring in place, the dovetail floor panels were set, screwed onto the bearing walls, and the concrete was poured—all ahead of schedule. The construction was further streamlined since long-span composite systems are UL fire-endurance rated for 2 hours without additional spray-on or gypsum materials. Therefore, unlike traditional steel decking, fireproofing to meet code requirements was achieved without special drywall work or filling the deck flutes with fire-retardant material. By staggering the dovetail deck flutes when placed on the walls, smoke and fire cannot breach the head of the wall because it runs into solid concrete.

The results: This project exemplifies how the right steel building system can provide the desired design intent, improve space planning, streamline construction, and cut costs.

MASONRY CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of Glen-Gery

The project: The 13-story, 600,000-square-foot high-rise residential development known as Park Chelsea is located in D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The building brings 429 new residences to New Jersey Avenue, a major corridor that extends from the Capitol Building to the Anacostia River. Its architectural character incorporates the memory of the original industrial neighborhood in which it lives. Park Chelsea’s tower features a rooftop pool and lounge/grilling area, dog exercise area, and community gardens surrounded by three types of brick, including glazed, molded, and extruded.

The design: Building upon Washington D.C.’s rich masonry tradition, Park Chelsea’s imaginative use of brick integrates contemporary details into an imposing, muscular facade. The layering of curved and straight walls adds intrigue, while the building’s rich color adds dimension and character, changing according to the sunlight throughout the day. In all, the masonry facade provides the ability to blend into the surrounding landscape through the use of 523,000 bricks and 45 shapes.

The diversified choices of available brick masonry enabled the architects at Esocoff & Associates to select masonry in three colors, three sizes, and nearly four dozen shapes. Through the use of a bonding pattern with alternating courses of 4-by-16 and 4-by-8 units, the brickwork is similar to traditional brickwork bonding patterns. The use of larger bricks, matching mortar, and V struck joints creates a higher proportion of brick to mortar than typical of most modern masonry facades. The tight V-joint also creates a fine shadow line, allowing each brick to be seen, yet does not distract from the continuity of the buildings curved surfaces.

The curves of the building are achieved through the use of a few special shapes and the careful layout of the 4-by-8s and 4-by-16s on a radius that allows the use of a standard brick to achieve the desired result. Wrapping the brick veneer around the free ends of the balconies implies this cavity wall system is the thickness of a multi-wythe masonry facade. Park Chelsea’s overall impression is made substantial by this tailoring of the wall terminations, like lapels on a suit coat.

The results: According to project architect Philip A. Esocoff, FAIA (now residential practice area leader at Gensler), “The brick we chose has a fine mix of color specks—like the pointillist paintings of George Seurat. This results in the brick varying in color depending on the time of day and by season. Visiting the brick manufacturer’s plant for this project, as we have in the past, reminded us yet again of the high level of artistry the brick industry’s ceramists possess. As always, our expectations have been both high and successfully met.”

TRIM AND PANEL FACADE CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of TAMLYN

The project: Located in Lone Tree, Colorado, Aspect provides suburban living with an urban edge, combining modern living, premiere shopping, and easy walking access to the local light rail system. It is equally convenient to nearby open spaces and parks for people and pets, where locals can enjoy miles of open roads and trails.

The design: Modern design and high-end finishes differentiate the studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments from others in the Lone Tree area. Oversized windows flood the units with natural light shining on two different finish palettes. Luxury design amenities include walk-in closets, full-sized washer/dryers, 9-foot ceilings (11–13 feet in select units), walk-up entries in some, and balconies or patios in most. Within the apartment community, residents can keep active in the two-story fitness center or relax in the clubroom with dual-sided fireplace, pool table, multiple TVs, Internet bar, lounging pods, and fully equipped kitchen. The courtyard and pool area feature mountain and downtown views.

On the building exterior, a vibrant and dynamic facade was sought to create an upscale look that would appeal to a wide variety of potential residents. Colorful panels were selected and installed, which were cleanly and effectively held in place with manufactured aluminum trim. The design provided a very three-dimensional look and differentiation of the surfaces to keep the large building appropriately scaled. Because of this, a series of different trim pieces were required, including vertical reveals, horizontal zees, and standard J-mold profiles. Further, due to the abundance of corners and planar differences, low-profile inside corner trim and open outside corner trim was required. Fortunately, the designers were able to specify all of these variations from a single manufacturer, allowing for a consistent look and performance level across the entire building.

The results: The Aspect apartments are extremely popular and receive high marks and ratings from residents for the quality of the complex and its management.

WINDOW WALL CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of Quest Windows

The project: YARD is a 21-story, 284-unit, $85-million mixed-use multifamily project with 24,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space located in Portland’s Burnside Bridgehead redevelopment area. YARD is part of the Portland Development Commission’s Burnside Bridgehead Master Plan, an effort to revitalize entrepreneurial development in Portland.

As multifamily development continues to swell in Portland, affordability has become a critical issue. In response to the growing need for workforce housing, the developers negotiated a 10-year tax exemption with the City of Portland in exchange for 57 units that will be offered to households at or below 60 percent median family income (MFI). The project is a joint venture between Guardian Development and Key Development.

The design: YARD combines 284 residential units (42 percent studios, 45 percent one bedroom, and 13 percent two bedrooms) and 24,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and office space, plus 202 parking spaces. Amenities include on-site retail and restaurants, community plaza with barbecue area, technology lounge, pet exercise area, bike parking and repair station, fitness center, and full-service day spa. In addition, Side Yard is a 20,000-square-foot pedestrian and bicyclist buffer at the foot of the development adjacent to the legendary Burnside Skate Park. According to the architect, Skylab Architecture, “The building responds to the sloping site and arterial infrastructure with an elevated podium eco-roof that engages the pedestrian platform on the Burnside Bridge. The lifting and folding geometry of the roof abstracts the historic river profile in form. Resting above the podium is a residential tower. The majority of the site is dedicated to the eco-roof podium that serves to manage stormwater.”

The building itself shows a variety of interesting adaptations in the window wall system. The architects worked with a window wall supplier early in the process to adapt the design from a curtain wall. Together, they were able to use standard manufactured parts to meet many of the design criteria and functional conditions. From there, they moved on to custom fabricated, vertical, perforated ventilation areas and custom horizontal slot ventilation designs located appropriately to provide ventilation air. They also used monolithic back-painted glass and pioneered one of the first uses of back-painted insulated glass. In addition, they were able to detail the complex corner transitions and steel supports on the corners of the building. Completing the overall design look, the parapet and soffit skirt at the top and bottom of the tower volume had custom sloped spandrel or metal panel windows.

The results: The change from a curtain wall to a window wall system allowed for a distinctive, attractive facade design that combined manufacturer’s standard components with custom fabrications. A unique and distinctive design was produced while controlling costs for the owner.

HARDWARE CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of Hager Companies

The project: Harborside in Jersey City, New Jersey, has existed for 30 years as a successful business and commercial center. As Jersey City progressed into a world-class city, the owners of Harborside realized that introducing a vibrant residential element would further increase the allure of the complex. That’s why Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Harborside’s owner, decided to partner with Ironstate Development to bring a new residential vision to a commercial site. Located on the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan, the first of three planned buildings is currently one of the tallest buildings in Jersey City.

The design: The full integrated plan for the site includes three 69-story towers comprising 2,358 residences and a signature design that achieves tremendous living density in a very small footprint. The project will provide a new east-west connection for the area while adding public spaces and retail vibrancy to the neighborhood. The location provides direct access to public transportation via the Exchange Place PATH station, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and nearby ferry.

The building design is the collaborative creation of Dutch architect Concrete and HLW of New York City. URBY is a new housing concept developed by Concrete and Ironstate that provides affordable, compact yet spacious, semi-furnished rental apartments for the metro New York City market. The project started by creating an identity for the new housing brand, which led to the interior design of the apartments, followed by the architectural design of the buildings. The playfulness of the URBY brand is represented in the architecture by its stack of blocks appearance, resembling Jenga-like towers that are becoming a beacon in the skyline of Jersey City. The first tower with 763 apartments was completed in 2016.

Among the many details of the development, the hardware selected for the thousands of doors in the complex was significant and important to both the appearance and functionality of the spaces. Hardware is one of the few things that people actually touch and use in a building so it needs to be reliable and provide the sense of quality that the rest of the complex seeks to emulate. Ironstate required all of the hardware to be coordinated and provided by a single source for quality but also for maintenance reasons. Its Project Manager Art Miccio says, “The reason we chose a specific manufacturer was because of their quick response, overall value of their products, their lifetime warranty, full-factory support, and on-time delivery.” The manufacturer in return appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with the design and development professionals to provide a full line of architectural door hardware. In so doing, they met the aesthetic criteria of the project as well as the form, fit, function, and ever important building and life safety code criteria.

The results: According to Michael DeMarco, president, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, “With our partner, Ironstate, Jersey City Urby will be part of our transformed waterfront where we’re creating a true live, work, play neighborhood with amazing views of Manhattan.”