Hudson Commons (441 Ninth Avenue)

Hudson Commons is a major transformation of an eight-story warehouse built in 1962. An additional 17 floors will be added atop the black masonry-clad tower, bringing 700,000 square feet of new office space, and new storefront at the building’s base will feature wrap-around curtain wall with bold lines, referencing the original 1960’s design. Vidaris is currently engaged by the Client for building envelope consulting and monitoring for the following scopes of work at the Project: ninth floor through “Top of House” (17-story addition) curtain wall system, existing podium (floors 2-8) “ribbon” windows, tower metal panels, louvers, ground floor storefront and entrances, and various setback terrace doors.   Photo Credit: Pavel Bendov Photography

The Apthorp (2211 Broadway)

The Apthorp is a historic condominum building built in 1908 that occupies a full block on the Upper West Side. Designated a landmark in 1969, this 12-story, once apartment building is built around a large interior courtyard and includes features such as arch-headed windows, projecting cornices, a barrel-vaulted entrance and limestone sculptures. The condominium is divided into four sections, each with its own lobby. When the building turned from apartments to mostly condos in 2006, the building owner decided to undergo a restoration of original detailing before reselling. Vidaris was hired in 2009 to provide building envelope consulting and monitoring, including assessing the main roof, the courtyard, the windows, and providing a Local Law 11 inspection. Later, in 2011, Vidaris was brought on to consult and inspect the roof replacement and cornice replication, as well as to provide an existing window thermal mock-up test.

The Shed at Hudson Yards

The Shed is part of the Hudson Yards development, the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center. The Shed is nested partially into the base of the residential 15 Hudson Yards and has been designed for flexibility and accommodation of a broad range of festival and artistic activities. It is composed of two spaces: The fixed building has galleries and performance spaces. A movable, expandable shed creates, as needed, either a completely enclosed, conditioned space for performances, or a semi-outdoor space. Vidaris has been collaborating with the design team and client since the Schematic Design phase, providing (a) LEED analyses, (b) energy modeling for LEED, (c) energy modeling to demonstrate compliance with the NYC Local Law 86 that requires 25% savings in regulated energy cost and (d) compliance with the NYC Energy Code. Vidaris has also performed analyses on moisture condensation for the entrance lobby. These analyses used a combination of Computation Fluid Dynamics and conductive heat transfer analysis. The building features numerous innovations in both the design process and actual design. For the process, modeling of a building with a movable section has been especially challenging. The major design innovation is the movable shed, with the challenges posed by enclosures and HVAC. The Shed takes advantage of Hudson Yards site-wide sustainability initiatives (landscape irrigation, access to open space, etc) and makes its own push for LEED-Gold. Heat island effects are reduced through reflective roofing and paving materials and water efficient fixtures such as high-efficiency toilets and pin-flush urinals. Stormwater collected from the roof and site will be reused for cooling tower makeup. The building will be highly efficient, estimated to save over 25% in regulated energy cost, and over 15% in total energy cost – the latter being a difficult achievement, given the constraints posed by a movable section, the large energy used by exhibit lighting and the energy used by performances that will be held in the movable portion (when deployed) . It will have a highly insulated envelope, transparent plastic “pillows” that admit daylight into the movable shed while ensuring a good insulating value, low density general lighting, daylight harvesting, and efficient chiller/boiler plant.

The House at Cornell Tech

The House at Cornell Tech is a 26-story tower with 350 residences for students, staff and faculty. It includes many amenities including a gym, lounge, roof deck and media rooms. The project is the world’s tallest and largest Passive House building, using up to 70% less energy than a conventional high-rise with its 9-by-36-foot metal panels with 8 to 13 inches of insulation. Working closely with the entire team, Vidaris helped to develop details to satisfy Passive House requirements while managing the constructability, construction sequencing and budget. Vidaris also assisted with translating and incorporating European requirements into project documents, including specifications and architectural drawings; these documents helped to ensure details, like air barriers and insulation, met requirements. Because Passive House has conceptual standards that are catered to 1-2 story buildings, Vidaris helped drive the discussion to develop compromises and decisions, which satisfied all parties, that allowed the adaptation to high rise construction where sequencing and constructability are important factors.   Photo Credit: Pavel Bendov Photography

100 Binney Street

Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center

Mind-Builders is a cultural institution in the Bronx that provides a range of programs and classes in the performing arts for children and adults of all ages. This project consists of a gut renovation of the 12,000 sf, 4 story building to provide dance studios, performance spaces, music rooms, classrooms, and offices. Most of the instruction spaces are designed as multi-functional to allow flexibility in the scheduling and types of classes offered. All new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, a new elevator, and egress stairs are included in the renovation. The design and documentation was done entirely with BIM technology. The project achieved a LEED Silver rating.