Sometimes the familiar solution just does not cut it. This was the case in the design of a new art gallery constructed within the footprint of an existing 1930s apartment building for which Thornton Tomasetti (TT) performed structural engineering services. Zoning restrictions necessitated preservation of the existing exterior masonry walls. A steel skeleton was constructed within the building for bracing before removing the existing floors, and the steel was repurposed in the final composite steel/concrete frame system. Fully encased composite steel beams and columns, and concrete pan joists, were deemed best suited for the high design loads (as much as 300 psf), staged construction, and minimal structural floor depths. Thermally broken connections between the new interior framing and existing walls were required by the owner to optimize building performance. Additional structural innovations included the implementation of push piles to support the existing wall, the excavation of a new basement four feet beneath the existing foundations, a 10-foot thermally broken cantilever at the roof level, and the conversion of a portion of the building into a 40-foot high atrium. This paper will explore creative solutions and successful collaboration in demonstrating a successful model for combining structural system reuse, high performance structural design and detailing, and avant-garde architecture in one building.
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