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Industry Pulls Together to Create the New Center for Architecture

By Natalie Keith

When you're inside the new Center for Architecture, you don't realize you're two stories underground.

That's the point.

"In design, I can't think of a more welcoming place," Alan Gerson, a New York City Council member, said at the center's opening. "It's the difference between feeling hemmed into your environment and feeling a part of your surroundings."

The 12,000-sq.-ft. facility - home to the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter - opened Oct. 7 to coincide with Architecture Week events. The center, a former industrial space at 536 LaGuardia Place between Bleeker and West Third streets in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan, was renovated at a cost of $2.5 million.

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The facility includes galleries, a lecture hall, public resource center, library, meeting rooms and administrative offices for the chapter and its charitable affiliate, the New York Foundation for Architecture.

More than 250 individuals and firms in the design, construction and real estate community have contributed to the center. In 1999, the AIA New York Chapter raised over $1.3 million from architectural firms alone to fund the purchase of the space.

An additional $2.5 million has been raised from the greater community of building industry professionals. The center has also received a $500,000 capital grant from New York City. To date, the capital campaign has raised $4.3 million of the $6 million goal, which will include an endowment for programs and operations.

One of the center's central features is its 64-ft.-wide glass façade that is designed to attract the eyes of passersby - and rays of natural light - onto three floors of galleries. The open and transparent design is meant to foster greater involvement with the public and with activity at the street level.

Andrew Berman Architect of New York, N.Y. designed the center. The firm was selected for the project from a field of 80 submissions in an open, two-stage competition held in 2000.

The designer's central task was to open up the building and "breathe new life into two dark and uninhabitable levels."

"We have aimed for a design that is transparent, in tune with the nature of the original space," Andrew Berman said. "The building, built in the teens for industrial use, has a strong and direct presence. It was important to utilize the texture and rhythms of its materials and structure as part of our architectural expression."

IBEX Construction of New York, N.Y. was selected from a field of more than 40 submissions to serve as the general contractor. Construction began in March.

To open up the building and breathe new life into dark and uninhabitable floors, IBEX removed parts of the existing floor slabs at the street level and the floor below it. That opened up three floors, including the basement, to natural light.

"What was done was the reverse of what is done in most retail environments," said Andy Frankl, president of IBEX Construction. "The way you attract people to go to upper floors is to have a large atrium so that people see the upper floors. This is a 'reverse' atrium effect."

The center is also equipped with two 1,250-ft.-deep geothermal wells that will be used for the HVAC system. The wells work because the earth is a consistent 58 degrees and, when the air is colder or warmer, the discrepancy in temperature is captured and turned into cool or warm air. This technology is only being used at 50 sites around the country.

"It creates less pollution and it's a cleaner and more efficient way to do it," Frankl added.

Frances Huppert, senior vice president, Empire State Development Corp., said it was important to create a facility that reflects the importance of design and energy efficiency.

"Imagine two geothermal walls 50 ft. into the schist of Greenwich Village. Let's hope this becomes the norm for projects across the state," Huppert said at the center's opening.

Frankl said creating the center was a collaborative effort with many firms making contributions and some consultants working for free. The industry is hoping that the center will play a role in decisions regarding the future redevelopment of lower Manhattan.

"If we do it right, we have a chance to make a real difference," he added.