Canopy Helps Bring Big Retail to the Big Apple
East River Plaza
In the 1940s, Duke Ellington’s orchestra invited everyone to “take the ‘A’ train” up to Harlem. The latest to hop the subway uptown are some pretty big names: Costco, Best Buy, Target, Marshalls, Old Navy, PetSmart, and others. And when they got off, they moved right into East River Plaza.
East River Plaza, on FDR Drive between 116th and 119th streets, is a sprawling, 485,000-square-foot, steel-and-concrete shopping mecca that includes an adjacent 1,248-car precast concrete parking garage. The pair is bridged by a 124' by 43' translucent, segmented arch canopy by Structures Unlimited, Inc.
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Structures Unlimited manufactured the aluminum truss system with their
state-of-the-art CNC machining center. All engineering was done in-house. |
“The site had been an abandoned industrial complex with contaminated ground... a designated Brownfield project,” says Adam Schwartz, vice president within the construction group of project co-developer Forest City Ratner Companies of Brooklyn, New York.
Once the two buildings were up, Structures Unlimited was chosen to create the connecting canopy for a host of reasons, beginning with “aesthetics, price, and durability,” says Schwartz. “And their willingness to perform detailed structural and design assessments as part of the bid process, prior to any commitment of compensation, was essential to presenting the case for the feasibility of this solution.” The decision was also driven by the strength and versatility of Structures Unlimited, Inc.
“Right next to the East River, the wind and snow loads are tremendous. On top of that, though neither building had been constructed to accommodate a canopy, the project did have to comply with seismic standards allowing 15 inches of movement in any direction. Hurricane loading showed the potential for huge uplift forces that had to be dealt with in the trusses by Structures Unlimited and at the supports by our engineers.”
Several fabric-based canopy alternatives had been considered to accommodate this movement within budget constraints; all were rejected as too fragile. Other potential vendors and building technologies didn’t have the proven engineering credibility or know-how needed to design and produce the right single-source solution. “Structures Unlimited showed us what they had done for the nearby new Yankee Stadium and adjacent train station. Their translucent canopy was within our budget, could handle the loads, was the most durable solution, and was also the most aesthetically beautiful! In the end, it was the best solution in every metric.”
Because the canopy would span the 43-foot space between the buildings, it was positioned on steel slide plates. “The side of the canopy resting on the shopping structure could slide north/south (axially); on the parking garage, east/west (laterally). Though the canopy is rigid, each building can move to its own natural frequency without the canopy pulling apart and falling on pedestrians below. And even though the canopy can slide, it’s also anchored in such a way that uplifts created by strong crosswinds can’t dislodge it.”
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| The movement in two directions between the retail building and parking structure required precise coordination between the structural engineer and Structures Unlimited. |
“There’s also a height difference between the retail building and the parking garage,” Schwartz adds, “and the 124-feet-long Structures Unlimited arch truss canopy, with a 43-foot span, handled both issues very well.” The system incorporates a translucent, highly insulating, composite structural sandwich panel system manufactured by strategic partner Kalwall Corporation. Virtually maintenance-free, this total composite system meets local and national building codes as well as OSHA fall-through standards. Structures Unlimited’s pre-engineered aluminum structural framing system also stands up to the corrosive effect of the waterfront location and salty air. The systems are shatterproof, durable, and offer a long life cycle and proven performance in every climate. And Structures Unlimited’s design flexibility allowed for the inclusion of structurally reinforced snow fences and an integral gutter system.
Until East River Plaza, Forest City Ratner had not had an opportunity to work with Structures Unlimited, but looks forward to doing so again. “They were a pleasure to work with,” Schwartz recalls. “Structures Unlimited did what they said they would when they said they would, and the final product is beautiful and was still cost-effective.”
East River Plaza
New York, NY
Co-developer: Forest City Ratner Companies
(with Blumenfeld Development Group)
Specifications
42' 5" wide by 124' long segmented arch canopy with custom aluminum truss rafter system, 6" expansion joint, and custom four-way steel slider base plate connections.
U-Value: .53 Btu/hr/ft²/°F (2.57 W/m²K)
Light Transmission: 35%
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: 0.52
Face Sheet Color, Exterior: Crystal
Face Sheet Color, Interior: White
For more information, contact:
Structures Unlimited, Inc., 603-645-6539 (800-225-3895 N. America)
Kalwall is a registered trademark of Kalwall Corporation U.S.A.
Structures Unlimited and Kalwall Corporation are strategic partners.
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