Hearst Headquarters: Innovation and Heritage in Harmony

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Hearst Headquarters: Innovation and Heritage in Harmony ctbuh.org/papers Title: Hearst Headquarters: Innovation and Heritage in Harmony Authors: Ahmad Rahimian, Vice President, WSP Cantor Seinuk Yoram Eilon, WSP Cantor Seinuk Subjects: Architectural/Design Building Case Study Conservation/Restoration/Maintenance Structural Engineering Keyword: Structure Publication Date: 2008 Original Publication: CTBUH 2008 8th World Congress, Dubai Paper Type: 1. Book chapter/Part chapter 2. Journal paper 3. Conference proceeding 4. Unpublished conference paper 5. Magazine article 6. Unpublished © Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat / Ahmad Rahimian; Yoram Eilon Hearst Headquarters: Innovation and Heritage in Harmony Dr. Ahmad Rahimian, P.E., S.E., Yoram Eilon, P.E. WSP Cantor Seinuk, 228 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212 687 9888, Fax: 646 487 5501, Email: [email protected] Abstract The new $500million Hearst Corporation headquarters is a 46-story, 600 ft tall, glass and steel skyscraper that rises from a 6-story base landmark art deco building. The client’s goal was the preservation of the existing façade and the incorporation of a new tower providing architectural character of the highest standards. This paper describes the challenges met in preserving the façade and how the choice of a diagrid system - a highly efficient triangulated truss tube structure – met the engineering and architectural requirements for the tower. Furthermore, the innovative solutions incorporated to meet the associated challenges inherent with such a structural form are described in detail. Completed in September 2006 on time and on budget, the first diagrid high-rise building in The Americas is an iconic and welcome addition to the New York City skyline. bart.sullivan@ Keywords: Innovation, Diagrid, Savings, Nodes, Preservation wspcs.com Bart Sullivan BartIntroduction Sullivan, P.E. is Vice President and Director of WSP Cantor Seinuk,In 2001, Dubai the Office. team of Mr.Foster Sullivan and Partnershas managed Architects the de- sign andAt construction 959 Eighth ofAvenue, a variety Manhattan, of high rise New residential York, anand officeand WSPbuildings Cantor throughout Seinuk Structural the world. Engineers He has been were involved hired foriconic many toweryears withis 3-dimensionalthe new $500million computer analysis landmark and design by of the lateral Hearst bracing Organization systems. to His design experience its new includes headquarters work inheadquarters new concrete for and the steel Hearst structures, Corporation. as well Theas rehabilitation 46 story ofat existingthe site structures. of its existing Currently, building Mr. Sullivan located is atmanaging Eighth WSPglass Cantor and steel Seinuk’s skyscraper Middle rises East from operations the 6 story at our base Dubai of a office.Avenue between 56th and 57th Street. The new 856,000 Mr.landmark Sullivan art is decoProject building Manager and for opened the Two in World September Trace Center,ft 2 theoffice second tower commercial is 600 ft tower tall toand be incorporatesbuilt at the World two Trade2006 (seeCenter Figure and also1a & the b). Seven World Trade Center, New York.Theunderground first building levels. to be reconstructed at the World Trade Center. Further projects are the Al Asima Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait, a 3 million square foot mixed-use development; the Burj Dubai,The originalSite 30 &masonry 31, Dubai fa çadeCity, Dubai,building, two completed towers A & BPreserving linked together New at theYork’s base byHeritage a low level –The podium Landmark structure andin 1928,car park; was ALM commissioned Tower, Dubai, by United the magazine Arab Emirates, owner, for a 175Facade m tall concrete framed tower that will be located in the BusinessWilliam RandolphBay district Hearst, of Dubai as the and first several stage other of a projects.corporate An important design specification was the Mr.headquarters Sullivan is for a member his vast of publishing the American empire Society (see of Figure Civil Engineers, preservation the American of the Concreteexisting Institute,landmark the façade Council and on Tallits Buildings2). Designed and Urban in 1926 Habit, by theJoseph Structural Urban Engineering and George Association P. incorporation of New York into theand new was tower part of design. the ASCE/FEMA com- mitteePost & investigating Sons, the building the response was intended of buildings to accommodate to the collapse of the World Trade Center. 1993,seven Mr. additional Sullivan floors, graduated which with were high never honors built. in WithEngineering, its BachelorThe (BS)new fromdesign the Rutgersrequirement College necessitated of Engineering, the Newlimestone Brunswick, façade NJ andfeaturing in 1994 columns in Engineering, and allegorical Master (MEng) demolition with honors of thefrom interior the Cornell of the Universtiy, existing building Ithaca, butNY. the He maintainsfigures representing a proficiency music, in a art,number commerce of software and industry, packages includingretention ETABS,of its 6 SAP2000,story façade Ram at theStructural three exteriorSystems, faces PCA designthe building modules, was RISA, considered AutoCad, an “importantand Microsoft monument Office components.in on 56th andAbilities 57th Streetsin C/C++ and programming Eighth Avenue. are also held. the architectural heritage of New York”, and was designated as a Landmark Site by the Landmarks On plan, the original six story building had a Preservation Commission in 1988. horseshoe shape with an approximate footprint of 200’ by 200’. The design for the new tower, however, required a footprint of 160 ft. by 120 ft., and to be situated on new foundations behind the landmark façade. Furthermore, the client also requested a new, 95 ft. high, interior atrium to be formed by the existing façade and the tower above. By removing the existing support structure for the landmark façade, a new design requirement was necessary due to the larger unbraced height condition of the façade. Therefore, a new framing approach was incorporated for the structural stability of the existing wall, in order to address the new design condition as well Figure 1a & b. Completed Hearst Headquarters as construction phase issues. Furthermore, the existing Photo Credit: The Hearst Corp CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 1 Hearst Headquarters: Innovation and Heritage in Harmony Dr. Ahmad Rahimian, P.E., S.E., Yoram Eilon, P.E. WSP Cantor Seinuk, 228 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212 687 9888, Fax: 646 487 5501, Email: [email protected] Abstract The new $500million Hearst Corporation headquarters is a 46-story, 600 ft tall, glass and steel skyscraper that rises from a 6-story base landmark art deco building. The client’s goal was the preservation of the existing façade and the incorporation of a new tower providing architectural character of the highest standards. This paper describes the challenges met in preserving the façade and how the choice of a diagrid system - a highly efficient triangulated truss tube structure – met the engineering and architectural requirements for the tower. Furthermore, the innovative solutions incorporated to meet the associated challenges inherent with such a structural form are described in detail. Completed in September 2006 on time and on budget, the first diagrid high-rise building in The Americas is an iconic and welcome addition to the New York City skyline. Keywords: Innovation, Diagrid, Savings, Nodes, Preservation Introduction In 2001, the team of Foster and Partners Architects At 959 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, New York, an and WSP Cantor Seinuk Structural Engineers were hired iconic tower is the new $500million landmark by the Hearst Organization to design its new headquarters headquarters for the Hearst Corporation. The 46 story at the site of its existing building located at Eighth glass and steel skyscraper rises from the 6 story base of a Avenue between 56th and 57th Street. The new 856,000 landmark art deco building and opened in September ft 2 office tower is 600 ft tall and incorporates two 2006 (see Figure 1a & b). underground levels. The original masonry façade building, completed Preserving New York’s Heritage –The Landmark in 1928, was commissioned by the magazine owner, Facade William Randolph Hearst, as the first stage of a corporate An important design specification was the headquarters for his vast publishing empire (see Figure preservation of the existing landmark façade and its 2). Designed in 1926 by Joseph Urban and George P. incorporation into the new tower design. Post & Sons, the building was intended to accommodate seven additional floors, which were never built. With its The new design requirement necessitated the limestone façade featuring columns and allegorical demolition of the interior of the existing building but the figures representing music, art, commerce and industry, retention of its 6 story façade at the three exterior faces the building was considered an “important monument in on 56th and 57th Streets and Eighth Avenue. the architectural heritage of New York”, and was designated as a Landmark Site by the Landmarks On plan, the original six story building had a Preservation Commission in 1988. horseshoe shape with an approximate footprint of 200’ by 200’. The design for the new tower, however, required a footprint of 160 ft. by 120 ft., and to be situated on new foundations behind the landmark façade. Furthermore, the client also requested a new, 95 ft. high, interior atrium to be formed by the existing façade and the tower above. By removing the existing support structure for the landmark façade, a new design requirement was necessary due to the larger unbraced height condition of the façade. Therefore, a new framing approach was incorporated for the structural stability of the existing wall, in order to address the new design condition as well Figure 1a & b. Completed Hearst Headquarters as construction phase issues. Furthermore, the existing Photo Credit: The Hearst Corp 2 CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 façade was reinforced and upgraded for the new seismic Two Types of Foundation requirement of the current New York City Building Code. There is a sharp drop in elevation of suitable ground bearing rock at the site, varying from a few feet to 30 feet below basement level.
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