In the late 1960s, manufacturers operating within SoHo’s cast-iron and other masonry buildings were beginning to abandon these 100-year-old structures in favor of modern facilities elsewhere. This left the large, well-lit spaces available to another group that found them interesting: artists. In fact, Judd was one of the first artists to move into SoHo.
SoHo became known for its amazing collection of cast-iron architecture, and a portion of the neighborhood was recognized in 1973 as a National Historic District. However, Judd’s building’s façade was in a state of disrepair. “When the project began, the façade had deteriorated to a point where scaffolding and safety netting had to be installed as a public safety measure,” explains Adam Yarinsky, principal in charge of the 101 Spring Street renovation for Architecture Research Office (ARO), New York. “As a part of the façade restoration, 1,300 cast-iron components were removed from the building for analysis and repair. Ultimately, 400 pieces were beyond repair and needed to be recast.”
When 101 Spring Street was originally constructed, there was no consideration toward creating an energy-efficient building. Energy was cheap and readily available. Therefore, because the building was virtually uninsulated, Arup’s team helped create a reasonable thermal envelope.
In addition, Arup’s team assisted with the selection of new window units. Quinn notes: “The windows were originally single-pane wood-framed inefficient units. Energy-efficient double-pane units that met the historic-preservation requirements were selected that helped create an energy-efficient thermal envelope.”
Yarinsky adds: “Custom windows that met the historic-preservation requirements were specified for the project. Low-iron glass was used on the exterior pane for historical appropriateness and low-E glass was used on the interior pane to reduce solar heat gain.”
Modern Design Challenges
One of the major challenges faced by the design team was the stairwell. Modern building codes dictate stairwells be separated from the rest of the building with a fireproof enclosure to allow building occupants to exit the building safely with minimal exposure to smoke. “This was difficult because the fourth floor is completely open to the stairwell,” Quinn says.
In keeping with the design mantra, Quinn says the team satisfied fire-safety requirements through a performance engineering approach where equivalent safety measures are proven in calculations, a method typically reserved for very large or unique buildings. A smoke-management system that incorporated exhaust fans and an emergency generator to supply power to the fans was incorporated in the top of the stairwell.