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Best of 2006 Awards
Top of the Rock
AWARD OF MERIT: Rehabilitation, Renovation, and Restoration
PHOTO BY BOB ZUCKER |
The $75 million restoration of the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck, known as Top of the Rock, has brought back a classic Art Deco attraction that had been out of the public eye for 20 years. The 35,000-sq.-ft. project restored the three-story attraction at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, which originally opened in 1933 in a design mimicking the great ocean liners of the 1930s. After a 1986 expansion of the Rainbow Room ballroom on the 65th floor, the building’s owners decided to close the observation deck.
The restoration, which began in January 2004 and was completed in February, also involved extensive utility and lobby-area restoration and reconstruction work.
“It’s just a great project, top to bottom,” one juror said.
Construction began at the concourse, first floor, and mezzanine level of the 70- story building. The project team removed the structural bays and slab of the three-level area to reframe the space and open a three-story atrium, which is now used as a queuing and exhibit area for visitors to the deck above.
The atrium work involved the installation of a glass staircase and a Swarovski crystal chandelier with fiber-optic lighting that reflects throughout the three levels. The mezzanine, meanwhile, is home to the Top of the Rock exhibits and theater. Its reconstruction required raised flooring throughout to house mechanical systems.
From the mezzanine, visitors board one of four “summit shuttle” elevators, which bring guests to the 67th, 69th and 70th floors that house the grand viewing room and observation decks.
One of the most critical aspects in the restoration of the upper floors was relocating various antennae without disrupting broadcast system operations. That required significant coordination with users such as the National Broadcasting Corp., Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York City’s fire and police departments, Shadow Traffic, and Doppler Radar.
The work took place while the rest of the building remained occupied, which made the elevator rehabilitation program more complex. The project team sequenced the work to avoid disrupting the office tenants, including NBC.
The team also had to extend elevator access from the 65th to the 67th floor, which required expanding and relocating the motor room. It added structural steel to support the new motor room above the elevators on the 69th floor and extended the bulkheads, while also replacing control and drive equipment on all four cars.
The team also had to modify the elevator cars in order to hoist equipment and materials, such as substation transformers, 10- ft.-high glass panels, and structural steel.
The team relocated various building systems throughout the course of construction. As the spaces were fit out, the team moved components of the core building, such as fire tower stairs and electrical closets, to accommodate the work, and in some cases moved those systems again to new permanent locations after construction was complete.
Key Players
Owner: Tishman Speyer Properties
Construction Manager: Structure Tone
Architect: Gabellini and Sheppard
Infrastructure Architect: Schuman Lichtenstein Claman Efron Architects
Structural Engineer: Axis Design Group
M-E-P Engineer: Edwards & Zuck
Millwork: Patella Construction
Carpentry: Jacobson & Co.
Painting: Paramount Painting |
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