The Landmarks Preservation Commission will again review proposals from Vornado and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to redevelop and expand an existing building in the city’s West Chelsea Historic District.
Overall, the proposed project measures 285,000 square feet and includes an 11-story building at 550 West 27th Street, a cantilevered rooftop expansion above 260 Eleventh Avenue, and an exterior renovation of 549 West 26th Street. The new construction will primarily function as an office property. Additional components include ground floor retail and underground parking.
Updates to the proposals are dated April 9 include changes to the building’s ground floor façade, structural exoskeleton, and rooftop massing.
Proposed alterations – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
At the ground level, illuminated metal signage along Eleventh Avenue has been reduced and entry into the building is now limited to three doors instead of four. Renderings do not reveal any changes to the development’s façade along 26th street.
Proposed alterations to ground floor retail areas – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
The proposed building at 550 West 27th Street includes a diagrid exoskeleton comprised of castellated steel beams in front of the glass curtain wall. The beams function as an external support system to allow for the reduction of interior columns and support structures. As a result, the development will feature sweeping floor spans and increased flexibility for future tenants. Plans include discreet alterations to the steel exoskeleton including a new mullion design where the beams intersect. The changes are barely noticeable in the updated renderings.
Rendering of diagrid exoskeleton – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
The most drastic changes include new massing of building mechanicals at the roof level. Compared to previous renderings, the mechanicals are now more vertically stacked, which effectively increases tenant-accessible rooftop area. In this updated position, the mechanicals are also much more visible from the street level.
Rendering of proposed rooftop elevations – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Rendering of proposed rooftop elevations – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
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It looks like a perfectly fine, graceful old building parasitized by the new.
It seems very much like the expansion designers are oblivious to the word finesse. What they are proposing would be a veritable blot on the landscape. Heaven (and the LPC) help us from this monstrosity, this Stygian nightmare ever becoming a reality!
This is an interesting project. The terrace, outdoor stairs and glass street frontage look striking.