12-13-2019
Transforming Pace University
FXCollaborative was invited to participate in The Learning Curve: Case Studies in Preservation and Adaptive Reuse for Academic Buildings, an event organized by the AIANY Historic Buildings Committee at the Center for Architecture. FXCollaborative Senior Associate Austin Sakong presented the firm's work for Pace University, describing the process of creating new student spaces that link Pace's program needs to the unique historic contexts of its two historic flagship buildings, 41 Park Row and One Pace Plaza.
Park Row, 'Newspaper Row', 1936. From The New York Public Library.
At 41 Park Row, a 19th century Romanesque proto-skyscraper, a new front entrance not only clarifies campus-wide circulation, but also responds to nearby historic artifacts and reconnects the structure to the storied past of Newspaper Row, of which it is the last surviving example. Strategic openings through multiple floors not only introduce intuitive vertical connections, but also excavate—and celebrate—the structure's original masonry foundations and arches.
At One Pace Plaza, a mid-century modern megastructure, wide expanses of new floor-to-ceiling windows flood a new Student Center with generous views and ample daylight. A façade once meant to shield its students from the chaos of the city now connects them to it instead, through a transformation reflective of the larger changes New York has undergone in the last several decades. Broad swaths of campus circulation are carved throughout the building's deep floor plates, creating intimate spaces for studying and socializing along the way while also linking the various plazas and gardens around the building, in both plan and section.
Through a series of carefully articulated incisions, excavations, and connections, the new student landscape that emerges from within 41 Park Row and One Pace Plaza responds to the university's historic, urban, and pedagogical contexts.
FXCollaborative's presentation was followed by a case study of two House Renewal projects at Harvard University by Stacey Moye and Aaron Lamport of Beyer Blinder Belle, and a case study of the New York Academy of Art by Caterina Roiatti of TRA Studio.
November 18, 2019. Photo courtesy of AIA New York/Center for Architecture.
The presentations were then followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, led by John Arbuckle, President of the New York Chapter of Docomomo. The conversation touched on a wide range of topics, including opportunities for sustainability, varying standards of accessibility, opportunities to leverage historic preservation towards better design, the challenges associated with historic structural systems, and the evolving attitudes and appreciation of mid-century modern architecture. More information at the event page online.
Park Row, 'Newspaper Row', 1936. From The New York Public Library.At 41 Park Row, a 19th century Romanesque proto-skyscraper, a new front entrance not only clarifies campus-wide circulation, but also responds to nearby historic artifacts and reconnects the structure to the storied past of Newspaper Row, of which it is the last surviving example. Strategic openings through multiple floors not only introduce intuitive vertical connections, but also excavate—and celebrate—the structure's original masonry foundations and arches.
At One Pace Plaza, a mid-century modern megastructure, wide expanses of new floor-to-ceiling windows flood a new Student Center with generous views and ample daylight. A façade once meant to shield its students from the chaos of the city now connects them to it instead, through a transformation reflective of the larger changes New York has undergone in the last several decades. Broad swaths of campus circulation are carved throughout the building's deep floor plates, creating intimate spaces for studying and socializing along the way while also linking the various plazas and gardens around the building, in both plan and section.
Through a series of carefully articulated incisions, excavations, and connections, the new student landscape that emerges from within 41 Park Row and One Pace Plaza responds to the university's historic, urban, and pedagogical contexts.
FXCollaborative's presentation was followed by a case study of two House Renewal projects at Harvard University by Stacey Moye and Aaron Lamport of Beyer Blinder Belle, and a case study of the New York Academy of Art by Caterina Roiatti of TRA Studio.
November 18, 2019. Photo courtesy of AIA New York/Center for Architecture.The presentations were then followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, led by John Arbuckle, President of the New York Chapter of Docomomo. The conversation touched on a wide range of topics, including opportunities for sustainability, varying standards of accessibility, opportunities to leverage historic preservation towards better design, the challenges associated with historic structural systems, and the evolving attitudes and appreciation of mid-century modern architecture. More information at the event page online.
