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
Reconstruction Awards | Jan 6, 2021
University of Pennsylvania’s Stemmler Hall forgoes retrofit in favor of complete renovation
The Edward J. Stemmler Hall project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020
The reenvisioned Sazerac House: A delectable cocktail that's just perfect for the Big Easy
The 51,987-sf Sazerac House is an interactive cocktail museum, active distillery, corporate headquarters, and event venue, all under one roof, next to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Can converting a landmark office to a clinic raise up a downtrodden Philadelphia neighborhood?
BD+C’s Reconstruction Awards recognize the adaptive reuse of the Kensington Trust building.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Spokane Riverfront Park U.S. Pavilion project creates a refreshed gathering place in Spokane
The project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 16, 2020
Voters resuscitate an abandoned high school in northern California
A 2014 bond issue provided financing to seismically stabilize and modernize Historic Alameda High School, a 2020 Silver Reconstruction Award winner.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 14, 2020
Wyoming Capitol Square renovation project is all about the details
The Wyoming Capitol Square project has won a Gold Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 12, 2020
A famed dome of a historic glasshouse is revived to its rightful glory
Scaffolding played a critical role in the repair and restoration of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s Palm Dome at the New York Botanical Gardens, a Gold winner of BD&C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 8, 2020
A synagogue in Toronto is renewed while preserving its history
Holy Blossom Temple is a Platinum winner in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
