35 Worth Street, Tribeca, NYC
a renewed facade for renewed Headquarters
35 Worth Street, Tribeca, New York, NY
Size: 15,000 SF
Client: Sergeants Benevolent Association SBA
Gut Renovation: comprehensive renovation of the entire building, including structural work, interior and exterior finishes, and modern systems. Not-for-profit Corporate Headquarters Interiors
Architectural Design + Documentation, Interior Design, FFE, Lighting, Architectural Graphics, Development Services, Owner’s Representation, Project Management
A RENEWED IMAGE FOR RENEWED HEADQUARTERS
35 Worth Street Building, Tribeca, New York City
A RENEWED IMAGE FOR RENEWED HEADQUARTERS
TRA was asked to renovate and reinvent the heavily altered loft building, increasing its presence on the street and designing sustainable, comfortable interiors infused with optimism while taking advantage of the original loft construction. We discovered the magic and potential in what appeared to be a humble structure. The aesthetic experience is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, the duality creates serenity and excitement for the user and visitors.
The façade was reduced to bare bricks, scarred by past structural modifications. The new design transforms the “no-style” façade, the rooftop portico hides the bulkheads while augmenting the scale of the building. The facade becomes the representation of the Institution. It contributes to rebalancing the scale of the street, which is dominated by larger buildings.
The scale of the facade is enhanced by the progressively diminishing cornices and conversely increasing window heights. The design connects to the historic architecture of the area: deep aluminum pilasters create unexpected shadows that echo the columns of the cast-iron landmarked buildings. Also, the subtle articulation of the spandrels recalls the large marble slabs of nearby historic buildings.
The metal façade panels, which TRA has used widely on projects, intentionally differs from ornate historic detailing to highlight the contemporary, but contextual aesthetic.
The SBA office is anchored by a three-story open stair which connects all the levels. The first-floor public space, defined by the “Street” houses the reception, SBA store and conference center.
“The Street” symbolizes the interface between the SBA and the community. The materiality of the street includes cobblestone-like pavers, the original cast-iron columns and original vaulted ceilings exposed in all the main spaces. The street is animated further by the “billboards”, interactive digital displays, that describe the mission of the SBA and memorialize the members. The familiar materials provide a sense of safety, assurance and permanence.
The design of the interiors reflects the SBA’s ethos, mission and contemporary culture.
The history of this project is representative of the way we work; we were the developer, the architect, the interior designer, and the construction manager. Not only we were the owner’s agent, we also foresaw the client’s vision and made it a reality, in budget, on time.This is our brand of the architect’s led design-build process.
As it often happened before, one successful project generated more work along the street, TRA studio was been hired on 35 Worth Street, following the successful gut-renovation of the adjacent 173 West Broadway, 6 Cortland Alley and the New York Academy of Arts on Franklin Street. The accretive value of the interventions in Tribeca, contributed to the recent transformation of the commercial lower Broadway corridor.
THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS: OUR AMPLIFIED CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
We always collaborate with our clients, making all significant programming, budgeting and design recommendations, this project was one were we were involved from feasibility through construction, down to lighting, the furniture and finishes selection and graphic design program. The repeated success of our projects greatly assist us in demonstrating, how our “ Amplified Construction Administration” process adds value in all phases of design and construction.
TRA oversaw architectural design, project management, and construction supervision, under a single framework to ensure efficient coordination among disciplines and minimized administrative complexity for the client. TRA was asked to act as both the owner’s representative and construction manager. TRA selected the general contractor and worked closely with the General Contractor, assisting with the project administration, including procurement, obtaining bids, evaluating change orders, tracking, scheduling, all working within the set budget. TRA followed the construction project daily through site meetings, zoom meetings and a constant stream of images uploaded on a shared drive.
In order to ensure that project was going to be built on time and on budget, the team adopted model-based delivery practices throughout the construction phases. The Revit model has been shared with the subs and continuously updated in a collaborative process. TRA also investigated and implemented the latest techniques to improve scheduling and workflow, such as layout printing on site, and facilitated offsite construction techniques when possible.
Siteline360 recently was provided the opportunity to deploy the new HP SitePrint Robot on a design-build project with TRA Studios in Manhattan.
From the very beginning of the project coordination and communications was top-notch and we are extremely proud to have been part of the team working on this project.Siteline360
THE TEAM:
Architect: TRA studio
Project management: TRA studio
Interiors and lighting: TRA studio
Structural and SOE Engineer: Wexler Associates
MEP Engineer: Jack Green and Associates’
Zoning Consultant: Jam Consultants
Elevator Consultant: Hubert H. Hayes