35 Worth Street, Tribeca, NYC
a renewed facade for renewed Headquarters
35 Worth Street, tribeca, New York, NY
Size: 18,000 SF Type: Building gut Renovation and Not-for-profit Corporate Headquarters interiors
A RENEWED IMAGE FOR RENEWED HEADQUARTERS
Worth Street Building, Tribeca
Tribeca, New York City
17,000 SF. 2023, 2023, Building renovation, Corporate HQ interiors
THE SITE:
Located in the Tribeca TMU, 35 Worth is a hybrid building: it is a four stories manufacturing loft structure, but it is not located in the historic district, its scale is diminutive, but at 43’ it is larger than most lots.
THE PROGRAM:
The program entails new offices for the SBA, the owner of the building, on the cellar, first floor and second floor, with two floors of rentable office space above. The new HQ have been completely redesigned with the most up-to date technology and re-imagined to better respond to the current flexible working practices, the two commercial floors have been upgraded in order to reposition them in the rental market. The program also included new vertical circulation, new MEP systems and a new façade to replace the brick façade which had been altered several times in the past.
THE CHALLENGES:
The façade of the diminutive small building had been transformed several times in the past and was, in its ultimate state, bare and damaged brick marked by scars and past structural modifications. The new design not only completely changes the pre-existing no-style façade, it also augments the scale of the building become the most-recognizable representation of the Institution and better fit within the streetscape. Although this is not a big building, it is important for us, because it is an example of how we work: not only we had total control of the planning, exterior design, interiors, lighting design and furniture selection, we are also acting as the owner's representative and are actively involved in managing schedules and budget. In order to do so, we created and continuously updated the BIM model of every element of the building infrastructure.
THE FAÇADE:
The design connects symbolically to the history of the area, naturally gravitating towards the large loft buildings towards the West, the recycled, mat zinc finish, aluminum pilasters create a vertical thrust which recalls the masonry and stone pillars of the landmarked structures. The crisp metal panels, which TRA has used extensively for other projects, intentionally differ from the masonry prevalent in the area, to highlight the contemporary, but contextual, aesthetic. The renovation will greatly contribute to rebalancing the scale of the street, which is dominated by several very large recent institutional buildings.
Although this is not a big building, it is important for us, because it is an example of how we work: not only we had total control of the planning, exterior design, interiors, lighting design and furniture selection, we are also acting as the owner's representative and are actively involved in managing schedules and budget. In order to do so, we created and continuously updated the BIM model of every element of the building infrastructure.
Although the exterior materials are simple, the scale is enhanced the rhythm of the progressively diminishing water tables and conversely progressively increasing window heights. The articulation creates a sense of movement which visually increases the building height. The open portico at the top also hides the extensive mechanical and new circulation volumes.
THE INTERIORS:
The three Corporate HQ floors, each housing a different department, are anchored by the common spaces, which we refer to as ‘streets” and by the wooden ornamental stair, which acts as fifth dimension, a space that connects all and were informal interaction takes place. The design of the interiors public spaces, which reflects contemporary corporate culture, takes full advantage of the exposed concrete vaulted ceilings, the materiality of the spaces mixes warm wood paneling and refined ceramic tiles with the industrial quality of aluminum, glass and the zinc panels that reappear in the feature logo walls on the interior.The familiar materials provide a sense of safety, assurance and permanence.
THE CATALYTIC URBAN EFFECT: TRA’S TRIBECA’S PROJECTS
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, a loft building with similar characteristics, 6 Cortland Alley and the New York Academy of Arts on Franklin Street. The accretive value of the interventions in Tribeca, contributed to the “making of the street”, acting as anchors in 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 the furniture selection and graphic 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 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