Westbeth Artists Housing

New York, NY

Westbeth Artists Housing, located in Manhattan’s far West Village, is the largest artist community in the U.S., providing affordable housing and studios for artists and their families since the 1970s. Its 13 buildings, formerly the site of Bell Laboratories, were adapted in a 1978 design by Richard Meier. As part of this project, a raised plaza was inserted into the complex. In 2009, the complex, which now offers 384 live-work spaces, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and two years later, designated a NYC Landmark.

As the Historic Preservation consultant for the ongoing interior and exterior renovation, we helped to conceive the installation of a new ADA-compliant ramp to provide accessibility to the existing plaza. We secured approval for the new ramp by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) through a Public Hearing.

We also secured LPC staff-level approval for interior infrastructure work and exterior repairs. The repairs include coating removal from brick masonry and cold-formed steel windows and brick masonry repairs and recoating, as well as steel lintel repair, parapet repairs, roofing and waterproofing, removal and replacement of the raised plaza deck and related asphalt pavers, and removal of a large and obsolete skylight to accommodate new electrical equipment.

Also, as Flood Mitigation consultant for the complex, located in a high-risk zone, we assisted with the selection and design of a suitable flood protection system. Following our advice, surface-mounted, watertight, removable aluminum-panels were installed on the in-board side of the cellar wall openings to protect the lower level from flooding.

Client
Westbeth Artists Housing, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD)                                 

Services
Existing conditions assessment, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding and Negotiation, LPC and DOB Filing, and Construction Administration services for building envelope work.

Project Team
Owner’s Representative: Elemental Architecture, LLC.
Architect: Perez Architecture PC
Structural Engineer: Hirani Group
M/E/P and FP Engineer: Power Com
Geotechnical Engineering: Langan
Hazmat: Building Environmental Consultants                             

Size
±96,530 SF

Completion
Design and LPC Approval: 2016-2017
Construction: 2017-2020