Meltzer/Mandl Architects complete 50,800 s/f residential conversion project at 487 Keap St.

Meltzer/Mandl Architects has completed the design of 487 Keap St., a 50,800 s/f residential conversion project in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, according to Marvin Meltzer, AIA, president of the firm. The existing five-story, L-shaped heavy timber and brick building, formerly an industrial property, will offer 51 studios and one and two-bedroom rental apartments. The project includes the addition of a sixth floor to the building. "This conversion project had several challenging design elements," said David Stuart, AIA, project director at Meltzer/Mandl. "Because it was an industrial building, there were many columns to support the structure. We did not want to risk removing them, so we had to incorporate them into the design of the layout." Another challenge was that 487 Keap St., which looks like one building, is actually two structures built at different times. The two portions were separated by a bearing wall. Meltzer/Mandl incorporated openings in the dividing wall to unify the building. In addition to Meltzer/Mandl, the project team includes Dagher Engineering as the mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineer; Severud Associates as the structural engineer and Cl-oth Interior Architecture & Design as the interior designer. Construction, which will begin this fall, is slated for completion in 2010.