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West End Labs
Originally built in the 1920s as a Chrysler automotive showroom and repair facility, 125 West End Avenue has been reimagined as a multi-tenant research and development hub.
The seven-story, heavy-framed industrial shell now supports a full life sciences program with labs and offices, lab infrastructure, collaborative open spaces, a conference center, café, roof terrace, main common area, and resilient systems.
| Client | Elevate Research Properties (Taconic Partners) |
|---|---|
| Architect: | Perkins+Will |
| Size | 7 Stories | 400,000 SF (37,161 SM) |
| Sustainability | High-Performance Enclosure |
| Office: | New York |
| Completion: | 2024 |
The existing building proved ideal for lab fit-outs thanks to significant floor load capacities and large loading docks. As structural engineer for the transformation, our retrofit strategy preserved and reinforced the existing concrete structure to support the introduction of approximately 40,000 SF of MEP-intensive lab environments, including significant new MEP equipment on the main roof and new large penetrations throughout the existing building. We modified the existing structure to create a large, open lobby with a marquee, new stair cores, a new retail elevator, conference spaces, and a new entrance to the amenity spaces.
To complete the technically complex conversion of the building’s historic car ramp—known as the Helix—into a sloping, multi-level lounge and common collaboration space, our team used 3D scanning technology to model the slope and existing conditions. We then integrated new framing, air systems, and finishes while maintaining spatial continuity.
Our façades and building envelope experts collaborated with the owner, architect, and our in-house structural engineers to design a glazed, unitized curtain wall system adapted to the existing structure. This new system maximizes natural light and thermal performance by controlling solar heat gain.
