Having completed over 54 stories and being the primary contractor to have completed interior work in the new One Bryant Park building, Structure Tone was the right choice to construct a LEED Gold office for Akin Gump. This project encompassed floors 41 through 47 for the prestigious law firm, and included: a conference center with a monumental interconnecting stair, partner and attorney offices, secretarial stations, filing room and servery with cafeteria. Meticulous detailing was required throughout the space and Structure Tone was diligent to carefully follow the very specific design intentions. The 220,000sf project was successfully completed within the tight ten-month schedule.
Working with the Base Building Contractor
The interior work began before the curtainwall was fully installed, and our team started work in the cold winter months with sheet metal layouts and drywall partitions. As a result of the base building being under construction, the core freight elevators were not available until the last month of construction. Therefore, all deliveries were accomplished via the outside hoist–an almost ten minute trip. Use of the outside hoists was coordinated with the base building contractor and with the other interior construction projects underway.
During the construction of the monumental stairway on the conference center floors, Structure Tone also worked with the base building team. The installation necessitated the removal of approximately 1,500sf of the floor slab. This required tremendous coordination with the base building architect and, most importantly, with the structural engineers to ensure the appropriate steel was in place to maintain the integrity of the building.
Reflecting Gold Throughout the Space
As a LEED Gold certified project, the design included maximum daylight exposure on each floor. To reconcile between the daylight exposure and the privacy requirements of attorneys, frosted glass fronts were installed on the perimeter offices, allowing daylight to filter into the interior workstations.
The project also features sophisticated indoor environmental technologies such as a pressurized under floor air distribution (UFAD) system. The UFAD system was installed throughout all five of the attorney floors and in certain areas of the conference center floors. Each employee, whether seated in a workstation or office, can control the heating and cooling improving comfort and productivity. Other benefits of a UFAD system include improved ventilation efficiency, superior indoor air quality, and reduced energy cost.
These features, along with a checklist full of others, helped Akin Gump achieve its certification level goals.
