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Design and Construction Excellence for the Future of New York City

Bell, Rick *1 and Castillo, Margaret 2

1 Executive Director of Design and Construction Excellence, NYC Department of Design and Construction, USA

2 Chief Architect, NYC Department of Design and Construction, USA

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Abstract The Design and Construction Excellence program of the City of New York brings together innovative design and construction strategies to build a thriving, dynamic, strong and just city for all. To enhance the value and effectiveness of the Design and Construction Excellence program, the Department of Design and Construction, the City’s public works agency, has developed a set of Guiding Principles. They provide an invitation to architects and designers to advance design through the lenses of equity, sustainability, resiliency and healthy living. The Guiding Principles for Design and Construction Excellence reflect a new commitment to deliver responsive, innovative and enduring buildings and infrastructure. Since its inception in 2004, the Design and Construction Excellence program of the City of New York has represented the critical force needed to foster aesthetic, technical and functional innovation in public buildings. Projects have received extraordinary recognition, winning many design awards. Through partnerships with world-renowned architects and diverse, emerging talent, DDC delivers projects that exceed expectations and reflect the city’s culture. As the foremost municipal design and construction agency in the United States, DDC is charged with meeting these challenges as change comes to the growing communities of New York, shaping the city of the future.

Keywords: design, equity, sustainability, resiliency, health

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1. Introduction

The purpose of the research is to positively influence the design of public buildings and civic infrastructure undertaken by the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC). DDC is the municipal public works agency responsible for the design and construction of libraries, museums, police stations, firehouses, homeless shelters, public plazas, streetscape and many other components of the built environment. Our methodology was based on “action research” whereby comparable projects were analyzed, visited and described, with the expectation that certain aspects and attributes would merit consideration as project objectives and design parameters were set. The Guiding Principles for Design and Construction Excellence 2.0 encourage design teams to reflect and speculate, to launch new ideas in the quest to achieve superior building and infrastructure design. They offer a succinct and inclusive means by which architects can thoughtfully engage essential challenges in creating effective, buildable designs. These concepts and case studies invite architects, landscape architects, engineers and urban designers to engage economic, social and environmental equity in their own work for the City of New York.

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*Contact Author: Rick Bell, FAIA, Exective Director, Design and Construction Excellence

NYC Department of Design and Construction

30-30 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, New York, USA 11101

Tel: +1-917-242-1941

e-mail: bellf@ddc.nyc.gov

2. Equity

Designing for equity is a paradigm shift that affirmatively promotes design for all. The built environment can powerfully advance everyone’s participation in the life of the City. Design can improve access to essential services and places of work, socialization, recreation and culture, especially in underserved neighborhoods. Extraordinary design can harnass latent local qualities, turning serviceable projects into magnetic and catalytic ones.. Through sensitive engagement with New York City’s diverse communities and recognition of local histories, backgrounds, needs and voices, design teams can develop projects that measurably enhance well-being, neighborhood identity and social cohesion.

Fig. 1. 40th Police Precinct, Bronx, BIG Fig. 2. Roberto Clemente Plaza, Bronx, Garrison

Strengthen Community Capital. The 40th Police Precinct is designed to strengthen civic engagement through the introduction of a prominently placed multipurpose community meeting room. It emphasizes the functions that inspire civic engagement, social cohesion, education and neighborhood stability. Plazas, streetscapes and public space in buildings can accommodate a multitude of community building events in a way that inspires idea sharing and collaboration. Use Locally Engaged Art: The name of humanitarian and sports hero Roberto Clemente will be indelibly part of the plaza located at The Hub in the South Bronx, along with Para Roberto, a a chair in bronze by artist Melissa Calderón. The artwork speaks of loss and regret, yet children will climb up on it to hear inspiring stories. Art that is reflective of the culture and spirit of the community is important. Art in public spaces can help people forge a connection to place. Design to invite: An appealing façade and entry can attract passers-by to enter a public facility. The arrival and entry sequence might be ample and expressivey display the services and programming within the structure. The new 40th Police Precinct in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx opens itself more generously to the community by selection of façade materials that help showcase the activity within the building. Design to delight. People appreciate a public building or plaza with a unique presence that invigorates a neighborhood. Every facility or public place can strive to be memorable and inspire civic pride. With its new benches, pavers and plantings, Roberto Clemente Plaza will create a calm oasis of relative quiet in a tumultuous hub of commerce and transportation options. The plaza design by Garrison Architects both contrasts with and complements the urban context. Facilitate assembly. As the city grows denser, shared non-commercial indoor and outdoor public spaces become a more important means to connect with and strengthen community. Public facilties and civic spaces can accommodate opportunities for discussion, congregation, recreation and enjoyment of cultural activities. The Community Room of the 40th Precinct and the seating area at Roberto Clemente Plaza are but two examples of projects that will do so.

3. Sustainability

New York City is continuing to move aggressively to reduce its impact on the environment – meeting tomorrow’s needs without compromising resources available to future generations. DDC is helping the City minimize greenhouse gas emissions through dramatically reduced building energy use in both new construction and renovation. On building sites and infrastructure projects, DDC designs thread natural systems and habitats throughout the five boroughs to manage stormwater and bring the many benefits of nature to citizens. The City has set a high bar, pledging a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050, and reducing commercial waste 90 percent by 2030 – with municipal buildings leading the way.

Fig. 3. Rescue 2, Brooklyn, Studio Gang Fig. 4. Plaza de Las Americas, Manhattan, RBA

Leverage site and envelope response. Site tactics (the reduction of building heating and cooling loads

through orientation and shading) can amplify energy efficient envelope design (highly insulated facades,

with daylight and breeze capture). These tactics, carefully coordinated, can create improved indoor and

outdoor environments while reducing energy use and GHG emissions at modest or no cost.

Reduce heat island effect. Green or blue roofs, tree canopies and plantings in public spaces and

streetscapes are among many tactics that can dissipate severe heat, which is predicted to worsen.

Canopies, porches and external shades are also elements that reducce solar loads on buildings. At the

FDNY Rescue 2 building in Brownsville, Brooklyn, plantings are incorporated within terraces and on the

walkable green roof, creating strong connections to the outdoors.

Conserve fresh water. Investigate reducing the amount of water use through fixture choice and programming. Look to minimize fresh water use for irrigation through water sensitive planting, stormwater retention and water recycling. At Plaza de Las Americas in Manhattan’s Washington Heights, a bottle filling station, a public toilet, and “The Source” fountain by artist Ester Partegàs help inform and educate users of the plaza and visitors to its green market.

Design holistic, integrated systems. Natural ventilation at the Rescue 2 facility is achieved through the placement of large overhead doors and louvers at both ends of the firehouse, promoting cross-ventilation throughout the apparatus floor. High-level vents in the glass roof lanterns induce a vertical stack effect. These passive strategies ensure a more healthful interior environment for building occupants.

Design with users in mind. Design that encourages energy-efficient user habits can increase benefits

and reduce costs. Explore a cooperative means of helping people to learn to operate their buildings and

public space for maximum effectiveness and amenity as well as performance. At Plaza de Las Americas,

a community organization has responsibility for program activities as well as the vendors market and

green market, assuring realization of a sustainable agenda.

4. Resiliency

Resilient design, broadly speaking, delivers projects capable of adapting to change. Resiliency means

preparing the City’s public buildings and infrastructure to maintain service and rapidly rebound from

extreme events – needs that Hurricane Sandy demonstrated. The primary hazards to the City’s built

environment are storms and flooding of increased frequency and greater severity, along with extreme

heat, extreme cold and human-caused threats. Design can not only make us safe, but can also build

communities and enhance neighborhoods.

Fig. 5. M1/2/5 & Salt Shed, NYC, Dattner + WXY Fig. 6. East Side Coastal Resiliency, AKRF

Design for emergencies. The key short-term hazards include severe storms, flooding, extreme weather,

high winds and human-caused threats. Design tactics at the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, are

intended to protect low-lying Manhattan neighborhoods from storm flooding while revitalizing the

waterfront and bringing in diverse recreational uses. The landscape will act as a barrier to keep water out

of nearby streets in the Lower East Side.

Design for long-term threats. Erosion, rising sea levels, rain intensity and critical infrastructure failures

have high potential to compromise the City’s resiliency. The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which

covers 2.2 miles along Manhattan’s East River, will offer greater public access to the waterfront, with

pedestrian bridges and street-level entrances that will prevent floodwater entry through the use of

deployable gates.

Use robust materials. For projects in vulnerable areas, assemblies are valued that will not be weakened

or deformed by repeated exposure to hazards. The heavy, reinforced concrete walls of the Spring Street

Salt Shed protect the 5,000 pounds of road salt within, but are also able to withstand repeated flooding.

The metal gates are both non-corrosive and heavy enough to keep out flood-borne floating debris.

Coordinate response over time. Given the dynamic nature of extreme and chronic events, the design of systems could take into account the risks likely to develop during their useful life – for example the effect of rising sea levels. The design can strike a balance between usability, welcoming space and public safety. Security requirements and the needs for flood protection can be consistent with the architectural and landscape expression of the design.

Minimize emergency systems maintenance. Day-to-day maintenance of systems used only in an

emergency can be overlooked. If systems are designed to minimize maintenance and operational

complexity, they are less likely to fail. Normally stored, a deployable panel system can repidly be installed

to create a flood barrier within the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage. Because these gates are

mechanically simple, they are likely to be reliable even if seldom used.

5. Healthy Living

DDC collaborated with other city agencies and outside stakeholders (including AIA New York) on Active

Design Guidelines which showed that design can encourage – and even make pleasurable – active

lifestyles. Physical activity can reduce such prominent health problems as chronic obesity and diabetes.

With Healthy Living as a major priority, DDC widens the lens, encouraging design teams to think about

aspects of the built environment that aid mental health and well-being. These include exercise, access to

nature, and a sense of clarity and safety in public places – to reduce anxiety. Physically active people tend

to enjoy better mental health.

Fig. 7. Queens Museum, Queens, Grimshaw Fig. 8. Columbus Circle, Manhattan, Olin

Invite movement. Consider site and building design elements that offer enticing options for physical

activity in everyday life. High levels of physical activity, including using the stairs instread of an elevator or

escalator, can improve personal health and mental well-being. In the renovation by Grimshaw of the

Queens Museum – the former New York City Pavillion at the 1939 and 1964 Worlds Fairs – the sculptural

stairway invites use and makes physical activity pleasurable.

Create therapeutic environments. Design can emulate biophilic and naturally-calming elements. Think of

using natural light, plants, running water and views of nature to enhance people’s experience. Access to

nature, calming restorative environments and public places that feel safe all contribute to well-being. The

renovated public plaza at the center of Columbus Circle offers a surprising and peaceful oasis in the

middle of a major traffic circle.

Design for opportunities to interact. Public spaces can be designed to ease casual meetings as people

move through their everyday routines and daily lives. Inviting meeting places for diverse groups can ease

social connection. At the renovated Queens Museum, a café near the entrance door – looking out to the

Unisphere symbol of the 1964 Worlds Fair - functions as an informal meeting space, complementing the

congregative function of the galleries and Panorama display.

Minimize noise pollution. As New York City grows ever larger and more congested and street hubbub

reaches new decibel levels despite signs and regulations, consider using ambient sound sources to

counteract vehicular horns and engine growl. In the restoration of Columbus Circle by the Olin Partnership,

planted berms absorb traffic blare from the busy roundabout intersection at the southwest corner of Central

Park. Water spray fountains help to disguise and diminish noise.

Design visually appealing streets and public spaces. Think about ways to create vibrant places

through use of an animated street frontage, intriguing paving pattern, comfortable street furniture or

inspiring work of temporary or permanent public art. Enticing plazas, parks, parklets, medians, sidewalks

and streetscapes can encourage increased walking and physical activity and, at the same time, help

diminish the mental stress of urban life.

6. Growth

New York City has never had more residents and visitors since the indigenous Leni Lenape welcomed

Henry Hudson’s Half Moon after its transatlantic voyage of 1625. The population of the City itself is

pushing towards nine million people, but public facilties and civic infrastructure are used by many more –

including suburban commuters and tourists visiting from as far as Seattle, Seoul or Soweto. As new

affordable housing is built, DDC is putting in the sewer pipes, roadway improvements, bike lanes and bus

rapid transit to expedite habitation. In growing neighborhoods, DDC is designing and building the libraries,

plazas and other places that accept and greet new neighbors - and new neighborhoods. New York is a

sanctuary city, welcoming the homeless, immigrants and refugees. New York is a soulful city, passionate

about growth, people and design.

Fig. 9. Hunters Point Library, Queens, Steven Holl Fig. 10. Times Square, Manhattan, SnØhetta

Design for growth. Considering opportunities for future growth of facilities, especially within existing

footprints or sites, helps agencies quickly adapt to changing opportunities and service demands. A new

library is about to open at Hunters Point in Long Island City, Queens, directly across the East River from

the United Nations headquarters building. As a beacon on the river, it will serve the local community as a

portal of knowledge and learning.

Design places to evolve. Strive to anticipate programmatic change. Public spaces that adapt over the

day, the week, and the year, by hosting temporary events can successfully address vital issues. Times

Square encourages a multitude of activities, collective cultural experiences and social connections. It is the

symbolic center of New York City, where people can sit on red-lit steps and gaze at the passing throngs.

Here, at the Crossroads of the World, everyone gathers to celebrate.

Conclusion. The Guiding Principles for Design and Construction Excellence 2.0 serve as a statement of values, with a hundred ideas and attributes of public buildings and civic infrastructure. The document and accompanying Handbooks invite architects to engage economic, social and environmental equity. New York, and other cities worldwide, succeed when public buildings and civic infrastructure ease access and welcome all to services, opportunities and resources. Recognizing the extraordinary urgency of climate change, the Guiding Principles look for a deeper commitment to environmental sustainability. The Guiding Principles for resilience set priorities for addressing the chief threats and chronic hazards that threaten municipal infrastructure and buildings. Thoughtul design can help address health needs, key elements of our larger well-being. This paper highlights a small portion of the 20 Guiding Principles and 100 Aims of the document. For more information see http://www1.nyc.gov/site/ddc/about/guiding-principles.page

References

1) Castillo, M., Bell, F., et al (2016) Guiding Principles. New York, Dept. of Design & Construction

2) Castillo, M., Bell, F., et al (2017) Design Handbooks. New York, Dept. of Design & Construction

3) Hutton, E., Bell, F., et al (2010) Active Design Guidelines. New York, DDC & AIANY