OWNER: International Center of Photography, NYC
ARCHITECT: Gensler, NYC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Severud Associates, NYC
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ENGINEER: Cosentini Associates, NYC
LIGHTING CONSULTANT: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, NYC
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Structure Tone Inc., NYC

Creating the "picture" of a tenant fitout for The International Center of Photography took the talent of a project team with an "eye" that could capture it all in one project.

To create the $8.5 million image the client desired, the project team had to create a new state-of-the-art school for the institution, integrate the school with recently renovated exhibition space across the street to from a "campus" in midtown Manhattan, provide an environment that would allow for increased interactivity between students and staff members, the museum and the school, expand space to provide for a larger student population and heighten the presence of the below ground level school by creating an architectural presence on the street level plaza that would identify and increase visibility of the school and serve as its entrance.

The first solution was found in a street-level glass pavilion on the public plaza above the school. This would serve as an entrance and visual link to the galleries across the street. The pavilion's transparency responded to the architecture of the surrounding buildings, while creating a sense of energy in a previously under-utilized public space.

In addition, what is now a paved landscape to passing pedestrians actually serves as the roof of a new 27,000-sq.-ft. facility. This facility increases former classroom and laboratory space by more than 100 percent. The new educational facility includes classrooms, black-and-white and color darkrooms, digital laboratories with state-of-the-art technology, photo studios, gallery space, a library, administrative office space, a professional shooting studio, a student lounge and student and community exhibition space.

Design solutions included a "grandfathering" of the new pavilion based on the original zoning approvals and supporting calculations. To achieve this required close cooperation between the project team and city agencies. The close cooperation resulted in a waiver of filing fees from the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) based on a not-for-profit status. Previously, DOB only granted these waivers for projects in buildings owned by not-for-profit entities. This, in turn, resulted in a four- to six-month savings on the project schedule - time that would have been spent in filing fees and rent while the client remained at its former location.

The jury called this interior design/fitout project "a nice approach to a concourse space," and noted that "the project team took dead space and made it more lively and functional.'