Construction Begins on NYC's First Prefab Steel and Concrete Residential Development

VIDEO:The Stack from GLUCK


Prefabrication has long been heralded as a possible way to infill NY vacant sites, however it is only in recent years that it has become a solid practical solution rather than an experimental concept.  Prefabrication has become popular in recent years due to the efficiency and quality it affords. The result generally leads to lower construction costs, less waste, less energy consumption, less noise and pollution on site, and tighter quality control. It also provides a convenient way to build on some of New York's smaller sites, which don't have the space to host traditional construction. Plus the reduction in cost means that high quality housing can be made available to lower income New Yorkers.

Dubbed 'Broadway Stack', the 38,000 square foot building will contain 28 high quality, moderate income apartments atop 4,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan. At the moment, 5,000 square feet worth of traditional foundations and services exists on-site, awaiting the imminent arrival of fifty-six prefabricated modules from a factory in America. The assembly of these modules into a seven-story building will take four weeks, with an additional three months after for connecting utilities, assembling the facade and adding the finishing touches. 

A Hinged Façade_ New Mechanics Hall - ME Building

Architects_ Dominique Perrault Architecture

Location_ Lausanne, Switzerland

Area_ 223000 sqm

Year_ 2016

The ME building, which its essence is Science; has a three-dimensional grid which divides its space in a controlled way, regardless of type or purpose.

The façades combine two distinct architectural styles in one common material. The metallic mesh, on the one hand, evokes the scope of mechanical engineering, while the northern façade is a direct reference to the molding envelopes of the neighboring buildings.

The mechanical façade stands to the East, South and West of the building. The shape and dimensions of its modules, were prebuilt in a factory before assembly.

Each module is made up of two superimposed layers: an inner skin offering thermal insulation and soundproofing, and an outer solar protection, consisting of a frame holding a metallic mesh.

The modules are divided into three vertical panels, two of which are sliding and one static. The sliding modules can be deployed in front of the glass panes or superimposed on the third one. For thermal optimization purposes, the mobile panels are generally operated through building automation system, but they can also be maneuvered manually. The third module remains in a fixed position on top of the opaque façade panel.

The metallic mesh panels are tilted away from the façade by a 5° angle, with different slants; this juxtaposition of oblique planes looks like a woven pattern, or a hinge seen on a macro level. The raw material used to build these automated components denotes the building’s purpose as a space for scientific experiment. At night, the indoor lighting system amplifies these contrasts by showing the general layout, turning the hall into a lighthouse for the campus. With its blinds, the slant of the frames and the weave of the mesh, and the visual clash between the threshold and the outer panels, the building offers a range of rich and contrasting perceptions.

For the historic façade, wide horizontal glazings are mounted above an opaque apron made of horizontal stamped sheet metal. The outer shell provides insulation, while blinds serve as solar protection for the windows.

SMITHGROUP′S ASU FACADE: KOVACH

Fabricator: Kovach Inc.

Architect: SmithGroup

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Meterial: Copper

Copper has certain attributes that make it an appealing facade option in arid climates. The first is that it doesn’t turn green.

The architects chose copper in part because it has a deep-rooted history in Arizona, which has led the nation in copper production for the last century. But the project, which achieved LEED Gold, also benefits from the material’s recyclability to earn points, and on its low price at the time of specification to meet the school’s budgetary needs. 

SmithGroup worked with design-build contractor DPR Construction Inc. and Chandler, Arizona-based facade subcontractor Kovach Inc. to develop a series of panel profiles that would form the building skin’s randomly repeating pattern. Though the team initially began with 18 panel variations, those were winnowed down to six custom profiles and three widths to keep costs lower and facilitate easier erection on site.

The project includes 15,000 square feet of UNACLAD architectural grade sheet copper. Because the 80,000-pound copper facade includes shaded outdoor student spaces in its program, some of the panels are designed to have perforations. 

To achieve the facade’s creases and reveals, copper sheets were cut into the proper widths, then customized on a computerized press break, a modern and more precise version of older hand-operated press breaks. The finished panels were tested for wind loads at Kovach’s in-house testing facility before installation.

C. F. MØLLER ARCHITECTS WRAPS GLASS HOUSE IN A SEEMINGLY WEIGHTLESS PRE-FAB CONCRETE SCREEN

The building envelope is predominantly a glass curtainwall with a custom exterior concrete screen made from pre-fab panels of white CRC concrete (Compact Reinforced Composite, a special type of Fiber Reinforced High Performance Concrete with high strength) featuring circular openings with an underlying solar screen and natural ventilation.

The architects say that the composition of the screen avoids a dull repetitive patterning, yet manages to save costs due to a modular assembly comprised of only 7 unique cast profiles. Data from key views, solar shading, and structural requirements provide parameters to control circular opening sizes and locations with respect to interior functions. Structural integrity of the panel connection points added further challenges to the design of the custom screen.

The circular patterning of the CRC screen extends onto the roof where variously sized circular skylights bring daylight into the central atrium. 

Aalen University Extension / MGF Architekten

Façade covered by wood

The clearly compositions attract attention to the facades who are textured with numerous vertical lines. Made in larch, the wooden shutters create a deep, changing surface; a game between visual transparency und closeness. It takes 90 seconds to open the shutters and the transparent facade appears. Depending on the position of the louvers the building look like a box of wood or a glass object. 2420 revolving shutters cover about 4500 sqm of the main facades. Due to the modular grid of 60 cm the design enables a flexible partitioning of rooms.

Technique

Basically the main facade is split into three levels of function. The room-high glass facade covers the long sides of the buildings. Prefabricated wooden post-and-rail construction with a modular grid of 60 cm includes double glazing which provides the thermal isolation. The ventilated cavity between the glass facade and the wooden sunscreen is used as service space. On the galvanised steel substructure the wooden shutters are fixated. Because of its self-supporting system only the horizontal forces are lead to the concrete construction. The rotating shutters are individually mechanical operated.

The Langley Academy by Foster + Partners

The Langley Academy by Foster + Parteners, is and exemplar of sustainable design, a theme which is showcased by the building itself.

Green features of the building, which include solar collectors, grey-water reuse, and a network of pipes illustrating how energy is collected and carried through the building.

Housing complex building in Barcelona by Josep Lluís Mateo

Architects: Josep Lluís Mateo
Location: Passatge Marimon, 5, 08021 Barcelona, Spain
Structure: BOMA Inpasa
Constructor: Delfor95

The façade is designed as a succession of layers: one interior, of glass and stainless steel, and another exterior, close to it, of wood that opens and closes at will. It protects  from noise and inquisitive eyes, acts as a filter between inside and outside, and gives the building an urban image.

https://vimeo.com/84119094