Spring 2023 Project Roundup: Openings, Awards, and On the Boards

NEWLY OPENED

World Trade Center arts space to open with music, theater and dance (New York Times, 6/14/23) – Silman provided services for this 138-foot-tall cubic building in collaboration with Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), the lead structural engineer.

In a new Arlington park, an enduring memorial arises (Washington Post, 6/13/23) – The brick tower's interior features columns of suspended ceramic vessels intended to represent the Black communities that were displaced from the area in the 1940s.

Resiliency park opens in effort to curb flooding in Hoboken (ABC7NY, 6/12/23) – The five-acre park is now the largest resiliency park in the state of New Jersey. Tanks underneath the park can hold up to two million gallons of stormwater.

East Flatbush’s new library is light-filled and inviting (6sqft, 6/9/23) – The renovation's main structural design feature is the framing supporting the six skylights above the central area for patrons.

Rockefeller orangerie revamped into high-performance arts center (Architect's Newspaper, 6/2/23) – This former greenhouse’s conversion to an art studio and theater required the removal of several rows of interior columns to create clear sightlines.

A new waterfront sculpture turns pop art on its head (Hyperallergic, 5/24/23) – The new 30-foot sculpture at Brooklyn Bridge Park was constructed of corten steel and weighs 17 tons.

Brooklyn’s Batcave reborn as Gotham’s art factory (New York Times, 5/17/23) – Two new cast-in-place concrete buildings complement the restored Historic Turbine Hall, which was completely repaired and stabilized while keeping the original red brick facade.

Century-old landmarked synagogue receives sensitive upgrades (Architect Magazine, 4/26/23) – Ansche Chesed Synagogue is a 1927 Romanesque-Byzantine building on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Curving CLT shapes a fun interior for the Bronx Children’s Museum (Architect’s Newspaper, 4/21/23) – Structural work to transform the decommissioned powerhouse involved three key areas: the western exhibition space, the southern exhibition space, and the performance space.

The lights are back on at the New York State Pavilion (QNS, 4/17/23) – The first phase of the $24 million structural repair work is now complete. The New York State Pavilion comprises three structures designed by the modernist architect Philip Johnson for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

Renovation and addition to upstate farmhouse features gabled wood-clad buildings (Dezeen, 4/17/23) – This 6,585 sf project included modifications to a main house that was originally a dairy barn along with the new construction of multiple auxiliary structures.

Guastavino dome at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine restored (Architect's Newspaper, 4/5/23) – The century-old dome at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine was intended to be temporary, but the spire that would have replaced it was never realized.

A 225-ton granite sculpture finds a new home (New York Times, 4/3/23) – Silman provided structural design services for the reinstallation of the sculpture, which consists of several boulders flanking a reflecting pool, at its new home on American University’s campus.

AWARDS

Architectural Record Houses: North Carolina Lakeside Residence (Nebo House), House Between Forest and Field

Boston Preservation Alliance: Huntington Theatre, Upham's Corner Comfort Station, Hatch Memorial Shell

SARA|NY Design Awards: The Rowan, College of the Atlantic Davis Center for Human Ecology, 520 West 20th Street, Princeton University Residential Colleges, Pier 57

Wood Design Awards: Nanotronics Smart Factory

ON THE BOARDS

UPenn's new center will provide dedicated space for the performing arts (Archinect, 6/16/23) –The 37,300 sf structure will feature a 300-seat proscenium theater and seek LEED Silver certification.

Transformation of a historic DC power plant gets underway (Dezeen, 5/10/23) – The 1940s federal building will be converted into luxury residences while maintaining the monumental squared arch that dominates the structure's western face.

Design revealed for new theater at Jacob's Pillow (Architect's Newspaper, 5/5/23) – The renowned dance center in the Berkshires has announced plans for a new building to replace the Doris Duke Theater, which burned down in 2020.

Buffalo Central Terminal steps toward next phase in its renovation plan (WGRZ, 4/19/23) – The initial design phase of a $61 million effort will return basic functionality to the iconic 1920s terminal. This project provides an opportunity to draw on recent work rehabilitating Michigan Central Station (also with Quinn Evans).