Structural engineering innovations were at the heart of a repositioning of the landmark 75 Rockefeller Plaza, former home of the Standard Oil Company. The project involved revitalizing the building’s façade and base metalwork, enhancing its lobby and retail spaces, and overhauling its mechanical systems and infrastructure.
To make way for new ground-floor retail and a more dramatic entrance and lobby, the team removed four columns at the ground floor, three of which supported existing transfer girders. When traditional approaches for transferring weight to accommodate the column removal proved too bulky and costly, the team adapted a structural approach common in bridge design: a composite-steel box girder. The solution met performance requirements and also coordinated with the planned sculpted lobby ceiling, which required the transfer members to be narrow and shallow.
Other innovations included the development of a unique “yolk” system, using 500-ton jacks, to preload a new steel box girder without the need for a temporary structure or shoring.
Project Summary
Honorable Mention
Building Team: Gilsanz Murray Steficek (submitting firm, SE) RXR Realty (developer, program manager) Kohn Pedersen Fox (architect) Robert Derector Associates (MEP) Orange County Ironworks (steel erector).
Details: 650,000 sf. Total cost: $150 million. Construction time: January 2013 to February 2017 Delivery method Design-bid-build.
SEE ALL OF THE 2017 RECONSTRUCTION AWARD WINNERS HERE
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Student Housing | May 1, 2024
Pfluger Architects unveils renovated student lounges at all-girls dormitory
In a step toward updating and modernizing on-campus housing to attract a range of students, Texas-based Pfluger Architects renovated the student lounges in Kinsolving Hall, a five-story, all-girls dormitory at The University of Texas at Austin initially built in 1958.
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 29, 2024
6 characteristics of a successful adaptive reuse conversion
In the continuous battle against housing shortages and the surplus of vacant buildings, developers are turning their attention to the viability of adaptive reuse for their properties.
Resiliency | Apr 22, 2024
Controversy erupts in Florida over how homes are being rebuilt after Hurricane Ian
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently sent a letter to officials in Lee County, Florida alleging that hundreds of homes were rebuilt in violation of the agency’s rules following Hurricane Ian. The letter provoked a sharp backlash as homeowners struggle to rebuild following the devastating 2022 storm that destroyed a large swath of the county.
Building Materials | Apr 22, 2024
Tacoma, Wash., investigating policy to reuse and recycle building materials
Tacoma, Wash., recently initiated a study to find ways to increase building material reuse through deconstruction and salvage. The city council unanimously voted to direct the city manager to investigate deconstruction options and estimate costs.
Mixed-Use | Apr 9, 2024
A surging master-planned community in Utah gets its own entertainment district
Since its construction began two decades ago, Daybreak, the 4,100-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, has been a catalyst and model for regional growth. The latest addition is a 200-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will serve as a walkable and bikeable neighborhood within the community, anchored by a minor-league baseball park and a cinema/entertainment complex.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Mar 28, 2024
Longwood Gardens reimagines its horticulture experience with 17-acre conservatory
Longwood Gardens announced this week that Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, the most ambitious revitalization in a century of America’s greatest center for horticultural display, will open to the public on November 22, 2024.
Sustainability | Mar 13, 2024
Trends to watch shaping the future of ESG
Gensler’s Climate Action & Sustainability Services Leaders Anthony Brower, Juliette Morgan, and Kirsten Ritchie discuss trends shaping the future of environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
Laboratories | Jan 25, 2024
Tactical issues for renovating university research buildings
Matthew Plecity, AIA, ASLA, Principal, GBBN, highlights the connection between the built environment and laboratory research, and weighs the benefits of renovation vs. new construction.
Airports | Jan 15, 2024
How to keep airports functional during construction
Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.
