PRINTEMPS FLAGSHIP NYC
Architect: Laura Gonzalez Architect (Paris, France)
Architectural Partners: Design Republic (New York, USA)
Fabrication: Synergi LLC
General Contractor: Schimenti
Location: Financial District, New York, NY
To read more about this project, please visit these articles.
DEZEEN: LAURA GONZALEZ CREATES PRINTEMPS LANDSCAPE WITH NO BOUNDARIES
ELLE DECOR: WHAT’S WITH ALL THE GRAND ENTRANCES?
My official role on this project was Architectural Detailer. It consisted of my wearing many hats and at times I took on many Assistant Project Managing responsibilities.
I was given the project in Spring 2023 at the Design Assist level working alongside the Architect and Architectural Partner to develop a materials and labor budget with the Estimating team. Together we projected project timelines and developed submittal drawings from my 3D model in Autodesk Inventor.
We began preparing for structural fabrication by the 2024 new year and explored weight considerations to the existing slab of this historic 1927 former bank building located at the center of New York’s Financial District. In tandem with the Project Manager and Engineer on Record, I developed a structural counterbalance frame design welded directly to existing Carnegie steel encased within the concrete slab. Coordination was necessary with the businesses below the worksite which caused some unexpected project timeline adjustments.
Structural fabrication began at the transition from winter to spring 2024 followed by installation in the summer. This was a coordinated effort with the general contracting team at Schimenti which required many hands and many cranes to set in place. Once the welding was complete, and bolts tightened, we moved onto the fabrication of the custom guardrail millwork which uniquely was shaped to delicately surround the bronze handrail.
I revisited the design’s geometry multiple times in Inventor to refine the guardrail’s solid oak curves at the mid-landing transition. We utilized 3D printed jigs and a 7-axis CNC machine to carve the millwork to the exact dimensions as my 3D model, with a +1” tolerance at either end for field trimming.
Working with bronze pose a different set of challenges for tube bending and field welding. The unique geometry’s transition at the stair’s landing generated a gooseneck that required the material to be cut into smaller faceted sections and the soft metal to be welded on site. An extensive buffing process was necessary to blend the hairline seams to appear invisible while holding to its structural integrity.
