The existing 26-story office building built in 1921 is undergoing a significant restoration, converting the neoclassical Beaux-Arts building into 83 hotel guest suites and 20 luxury condos, including a five-story penthouse. The tower features an octagonal pyramid roof and a tall chimney, both with gilded details. The restoration includes:

• Window replacement
• Storefront replacement at the new entrance lobby
• Façade repair (masonry restoration)
• New sky terrace and new amenity terraces at Floors 10, 14 and 16. The new amenity terrace on Floor 10 will be part of the Hotel, and will include a new opening, doors, canopy and glazing at the existing walls as well as new glass railings. The new amenity terraces at Floors 14 and 16 are planned to have private pools for their respective residential units. Our scope of work includes review and detailing of all waterproofing systems for the new terraces (pools, landscaping, etc.)
• Metal cladding at the top of the inclined roof and chimney

The new construction portion of the Project is a vertical expansion to be added above the existing annex building. With our expansive renovation and expansion portfolio, Vidaris will use its expertise to help transform this famed commercial office and retail building into a luxury hotel and residences icon of New York City.

This 19-story mixed-use hotel, orginally built in 1907, includes 137 hotel units and long-term stay suites. Located in the heart of New York City Financial District, close to an epicenter of public transportation. During the restoration, Vidaris was involved with the masonry restoration including overclad and reclad and facade cleaning and needed repairs, window replacement on floors 2-17, roof replacement and consulting related to both the existing and new roof at the penthouse, storefront replacement and the new construction expansion for the penthouse to the roof.

70 Vestry, a limestone-clad, residential tower located in Tribeca, is a 14-story building with just 46 apartments. The luxury condominium building designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects features sweeping views of the Hudson River through its large windows. As a Special Inspection Agency, Vidaris provided both monitoring in the shop and on site for Related Companies, including inspection of the precast, windows, sealants, hand-set and honeycomb limestone, and firestopping.   Photo Credit: Pavel Bendov Photography

The new University Forum hosts academic conferences, meetings, and symposia, featuring a state-of-the-art 430-seat auditorium as well as additional break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces. The auditorium is clad with a prefabricated concrete skin, whereas the offices have a glazed façade allowing in daylight. The transparent ground floor is both conceptually and physically open to the public. Following our shop inspections for the fabrication of the aluminum curtain wall, Vidaris became actively involved with monitoring the installation of the exterior wall at the job site, observing the embeds, the precast concrete panels and windows, the aluminum curtain wall, the glass fiber reinforced concrete, and the steel and glass canopy. Vidaris has performed energy modeling (a) to help the team meet the green guidelines of Columbia University, with 25% energy cost savings required, (b) the efficiency needed for LEED Gold and (c) NYC Energy Code compliance. Vidaris also led the effort to obtain the LEED Gold rating, providing initial direction for the sustainability effort, and during the entire course of the project, overview of the detailed work performed by its subconsultant, e4.   Photo Credit: Pavel Bendov Photography

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.

Located in the East Rail Yards (ERY) section of Hudson Yards, a 17 million square foot development, this project incorporates layout flexibility and terraces, optimizing the workspace environment. Along with 55 Hudson Yards, Vidaris serves as the LEED/energy consultant for the Office Tower C (LEED Platinum), and Office Tower A, Residential Tower D, Mixed Use Tower E, the Culture Shed and the Retail Podium - all LEED Gold. Vidaris also provides the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) consulting for the entire Hudson Yards site. Vidaris assisted the design team in increasing the energy efficiency of the tower by analyzing several measures, notably:

• High efficiency glazing with lower U-Value and SHGC-value
• Lower lighting power density in core and shell spaces and exterior areas
• Heat recovery of exhaust air
• High efficiency water-cooled DX air conditioners
• High efficiency condensing boiler

Vidaris’ LEED consulting has included documentation support of such measures as:

• A 25,000 gallon stormwater retention tank, with reuse for cooling tower makeup and irrigation
• A Measurement & Verification program for energy -related systems using metering equipment, the Building Management Control System (BMCS), and a calibrated energy model, to provide ongoing accountability of energy and water consumption
• High efficiency (MERV 13) filters for ventilation system outdoor air intakes
• Tenant guidelines including requirements for an organic waste management system for restaurants and cafeterias, to meet NYC Local Law 146 (Commercial Organics Law)

Vidaris also provided energy modeling for Energy Code compliance and support for the NYC Local Law 84. The energy efficiency and LEED work was cost-shared by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Located on an elevated shoreline in Astoria, Queens, Halletts Point Building One is the first of seven buildings in a 2.4 million square foot development which features residential rentals, a supermarket, retail, esplanade, parklands, community use facilities, and renovated playgrounds. Vidaris’ façade consultants assisted the Owner and Architect on the exterior envelope. Vidaris’ sustainability team investigated the Enterprise Green Communities and LEED ratings, with the project settling on the latter. We provided full LEED Project Management services, ranging from initial goal setting sessions to detailed credit reviews, LEED specifications, submittal reviews, and preparation/coordination of the LEED submissions to the GBCI. Vidaris provided technical guidance on some of the more complex LEED credits, including preapproval of naturally ventilated spaces as an alternative compliance path for the minimum indoor air quality performance prerequisite. Our professionals collaborated on the integrative process, blackwater treatment and reuse for indoor flushing, selection of products with environmental product declarations, and material ingredient reporting. We also assisted the project team in achieving innovation credits, including sustainable wastewater management. Additionally, Vidaris at the request of the Owner, conducted advanced materials research and compared materials on the basis of environmental health.

This project involved completely restoring/upgrading the exterior of the building including all of the infrastructure inside (electrical, etc.). The result is a state-of-the-art, almost brand-new building. The new hotel has 355 rooms and include other amenities like a restaurant, a banquet space, a spa, and a “clock machine room” to operate the landmark icon. Vidaris has assisted with Local Law 11/98 Cycle 6 and FISP Cycle 7 compliance, and consulted on the restoration and renovation of the building envelope including the window replacement, terrace doors installation, and facade modification. Additionally we worked on the interface details of adjacent One Madison Avenue during the renovation. Based on our experience with existing buildings, we identified that there was forensic work of the existing conditions needed to establish the appropriate anchorage of the window into the existing substrate. Vidaris also performed and directed field testing to verify that the window anchorage was appropriate to withstand the anticipated wind loads.

The redevelopment of Macy’s at 422 Fulton in Brooklyn includes a new 10-story addition to the existing building to hold 620,000 square feet of commercial office space. This new addition, dubbed The Wheeler, will have floor plates that range from 30,000 to 90,000 square feet. Vidaris has provided consulting on the existing masonry building’s window replacement and cast iron facade refurbishment. We have also consulted on the exterior wall of the new addition and are currently providing site monitoring of said addition. The new facades include serrated curtain walls with decorative aluminum fins, and prefabricated steel-framed mega-panels with corrugated aluminum panels and ribbon windows.

101 Seaport is part of the new 23-acre development happening in Boston’s Seaport Square. 101 Seaport is a Class A office building that will be the Boston headquarters for PricewaterhouseCoopers. It utilizes a triple-glazing, cable-net curtainwall alongside the structural steel and concrete core. Vidaris has performed periodic shop and job-site monitoring of the fabrication of the exterior wall. Vidaris has also performed site monitoring for the roofing/waterproofing work in progress, as well as foundation waterproofing consulting.