Friends Seminary School
TYLin provided structural engineering services for the renovation and expansion of an independent school in New York, New York.
This project involved a major renovation and reconstruction of Hunter Hall and the adjacent townhouses along East 16th Street. Two floors and a spring-isolated-slab play roof were added to Hunter Hall. Extensive phasing and coordination efforts allowed the project to be executed in a carefully sequenced order with minimal impact on school operations.
By using full-story trusses that span the 60-foot width of the building, TYLin ensured that the new levels would only need to be supported at the north- and south-most perimeter columns, eliminating the need to reinforce interior columns and allowing use of the lower floors during construction.
The gut renovation of the three combined historic townhouses involved demolishing all interior and rear walls to create an open floor plan. Vertical trusses connect the preserved facades to a new steel frame within the original footprint; sloped skylights bring daylight into the new interstitial space. The rooftop now features a greenhouse.