Silman improved circulation by inserting two feature stairs: a 30-foot-long single-span stair with limited supports and a scissor staircase suspended from an existing gantry crane.
The Kearny Point development will convert a number of maritime warehouses at a 130-acre former shipyard into modern office and commercial spaces. Silman provided structural engineering services for the Building 78 Annex and is currently working on multiple other buildings at the same site.
To ensure that natural light still reached the areas under the annex’s new second story, Silman removed about 4,000 sf of floor plate, creating a rectangular void under the building’s reused sawtooth roof and newly uncovered skylights. Minimal columns and long-span joists contribute to an open, flexible floor plan.
This project also retrofitted the structure to meet modern commercial energy codes, replacing the clerestory dormer windows with high-performance polycarbonate and reinforcing perimeter walls with insulation.