370 JAY STREET, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: Mitchell Giurgola Architects LLP
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Skanska USA
MEP ENGINEER: BR+A Consulting Engineers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Silman
LIGHTING: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design Inc.
WORKPLACE DESIGN: Studios Architecture
MATERIALS
The following is a sampling of materials used in the project:
ROOFING: Siplast
MODULAR SEDUM CARPET: ZinCo WINDOWS: Schuco
WOOD CEILINGS: 9Wood
CARPET TILE: Duo + Trio by Interface
CERAMIC TILE: Modern Dimensions by Daltile
ACOUSTIC CEILING TILES: ULTIMA and OPTIMA by Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions
PLASTER: Structolite from USG
ACOUSTICAL PLASTER: Acoustement 40 by Pyrok Inc.
METAL CEILING: LMD-St213 by Lindner
DAYLIGHTING AND LIGHTING CONTROLS: Lutron
MODULAR CONDENSING BOILERS: Benchmark 2500 and 3000 from Aerco
WASTE-HEAT-RECOVERY BOILER: Cain Industries
THERMAL STORAGE: Calmac
MAGNETIC CHILLERS: Daikin
IN-ROW SERVER COOLING: Schneider Electric
BUILDING AUTOMATION: Siemens
COOLING TOWERS: SPX Cooling Technologies
ICE-MAKING CHILLER: Trane
THE RETROFIT
370 Jay Street was built in 1948 as the headquarters for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). It was a spirited expression of the future
of Brooklyn with its limestone facades, large windows and innovative massing. However, as time passed, the building fell into disrepair, and MTA had to make do with antiquated systems.
As part of New York City’s Applied Science Initiative, the Economic Development Corp. partnered with New York University to transform this significant but virtually abandoned city-owned building into a vital hub for tech innovation. NYU needed a flexible home for leading programs in computer science and engineering, data informatics, gaming, digital media and recorded music, among others.
The 80-year-old façade was reimagined, re-engineered and reused to create an energy-efficient solution. Extensive daylight analysis revealed the highest amount of annual solar radiation occurs on the southern facade while radiation on the northern end of the eastern facade is relatively low. To address these variances, the depth of each aluminum shade and window recess corresponds to the range of solar radiation, ultimately providing an optimal amount of useful daylight, reducing the risk of glare discomfort and minimizing use of artificial lighting and electricity.
By retaining as much of the existing building as possible, the impact on the environment was minimized: 91 percent of onsite construction waste was diverted from the landfill and the project is anticipated to achieve a 46 percent reduction in average annual energy costs.
370 Jay Street is one example of how the adaptive reuse of an abandoned mid-century building can contribute to the revitalization of a neighborhood and help nurture the community’s academic and technological ambitions for the future. This building also demonstrates how an introverted building can become extroverted. Once totally focused on the internal operations and business of MTA, the building now includes a music performance space, gallery space, retail and restaurants—all at street level. The removal of the sidewalk bridges, the future upgrade of the subway entrances, and the addition of new street-level activity ensure the integration of the building into the fabric of the neighborhood.
PHOTO: © ALBERT VECERKA/ESTO