Enjoy chic accessibility at Zuma New York
Key Highlights
- NYC Garment District hot spot provides accessibility with custom Limited Use/Limited Application (LU/LA) elevator.
- Smooth-riding workhorse provides up to 200 trips a day, day in and day out.
- Space-saving elevator design helps maximize useable space in high-end hospitality.
Architecture, people watching and fabulous food. Three of the things New York City is most famous for. Combine them all together and you get Zuma on Madison Avenue.
Co-founded by Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney in 2002, Zuma has 15 venues globally and 9 seasonal locations. Featuring modern Japanese cuisine that is authentic but not traditional, the NYC menu showcases a variety of dishes from its three kitchens: the main, the sushi counter and the robata grill.
The Garment District hot spot ranks in the top 5% of NYC restaurants on TripAdvisor, and often plays host to celebrity diners, including Dakota Johnson and a slew of A Listers like Dave Chappelle, Dan Levy and Jimmy Fallon, who descended on the restaurant for a Saturday Night Live after party in January 2024.
Beyond the menu, the swanky surroundings are part of the appeal for celebs and “regular folk” alike.
GKV Architects led the project team on a renovation and adaptive re-use of the former office and retail space now occupied by Zuma New York. Three floors, including the basement, were fully gutted to accommodate the infrastructure required for the restaurant (remember, it has three kitchens!), including the two fossil fuel robata grills, four black iron chimneys that rise to the roof of the 30-story tower and fire suppression systems.
The result? An award-winning and highly acclaimed architectural statement. The 24,000-square-foot, 2-story dining room extends the entire length of a city block of Madison Avenue, and features cantilevered private rooms, two bar lounges, expandable private dining rooms and luxuriously appointed bathrooms. Every inch of the restaurant was designed with custom finishes and details.
And it’s wheelchair accessible.
An elevator tailored to the vibe
Diners heading to the second-floor tables arrive in style thanks to a Savaria Orion limited use/limited application (LU/LA) accessibility elevator located right beside the venue’s display of its extensive wine selection.
“This project was really special because of how upscale absolutely everything had to be,” said Mike Dolan, Director of Project Management at Mobility Elevator & Lift, the Savaria dealer who installed the elevator. “No detail was overlooked, and everything about the project had to be top-quality in terms of both aesthetics and reliability. Zero compromise.”
The Orion is a popular accessibility choice for low-rise applications, as it offers the look and feel of a full passenger elevator, but requires substantially less overhead at 134" (on new builds) and pit depth at 17" for the machine-roomless (MRL) model. On Madison Avenue, where Class A commercial real estate rents at an average of $99 per square-foot, every inch counts.
And the Orion is a smooth-riding workhorse, providing up to 200 trips a day, day in and day out. Compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, it can also be configured for same-side, straight-through or 90º entry and exit options.
For Zuma New York, the Orion also had to look the part.
“The elevator at Zuma is a custom glass cab, with glass doors, in a custom glass hoistway,” said Dolan. “The frame and operating panel are raw steel—meaning no paint or lacquer. The designer had a very specific look in mind for the restaurant, and the elevator had to add to the vibe 100%.”
The two-storey elevator is configured for straight-through entry/exit and features an operating panel that runs the full length of the cab, square buttons and pedestal call stations.
“It’s a very urban elevator. Very New York. And very chic. It came out just perfect for the Zuma environment,” said Dolan.
Accessibility Design Tools
Looking to incorporate accessibility into your projects? Find more case studies, educational videos, drawings, planning guides, generic specifications at Savaria.com/professionals. You can also book an AIA-approved lunch and learn of our popular course on specifying for commercial accessibility: ADA and ANSI A117.1 Design Standards for VPLs and LU/LAs.