Boddewyn Gaynor Architects designs 60,000 s/f facility for Amida Care; Vanguard Construction & Development served as general contractor

Boddewyn Gaynor Architects, D.P.C. has designed a 60,000 s/f facility, including a large data center, for Amida Care, Inc., which allows the growing non-profit health insurer to house its offices under one roof at 14 Penn Plaza in the midtown area. Amida Care provides Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug and Medicaid Managed Care Health Plans. The design includes a walk-in customer service center including a reception area and interview rooms on the ground floor. The second floor design consists of an executive office suite, a 30-person board room, offices, workstations, lunchroom, copy and mail facilities, as well as meeting rooms with movable walls, together with a call center. The third floor was designed around the data center and includes a fire suppression system, in addition to conference rooms, departmental offices and staff workstations, plus a lactation room. BGA's design also incorporated "convenience" stairs to link the three floors to facilitate staff movement between departments. Vanguard Construction & Development served as general contractor for the newly completed project. According to Michele Boddewyn, AIA, president of the architecture firm, the project was complicated by the presence of an 11,000 s/f third-floor tenant who was unable to vacate its space until two months after the work began, necessitating a phased build-out. "In addition, we had to accommodate a very robust infrastructure for Amida Care, in large measure because of the abundance of data management associated with health care," said Boddewyn. "The design supports a growing staff of over 200 employees with sophisticated networks, audio-visual capabilities, and adaptable space arrangements." "The schematic design for this facility reflected the need for flexibility as various departments of the company grow at different rates," said Boddewyn. "With regard to stacking options, we investigated various combinations of departments by floor to meet the adjacency needs of each function." A particularly distinctive aspect of the design is the 30-person boardroom on the second floor, notes Alan Gaynor, AIA, founder and principal at Boddewyn Gaynor. "We capitalized on the four-part, classical arched window facing the midtown skyline for dramatic effect. Adds Mike Esposito, project manager, "Here, as in the executive suite and reception area, we created a more 'loft-like' feel, using the exposed floor slabs and an indirect lighting scheme." Boddewyn Gaynor Architects, D.P.C. offers full-service architecture, interior design and planning services to a wide range of corporate, not-for-profit, retail and institutional clients. The firm's work ranges from providing highly individual designs for image-conscious clients to creating innovative solutions to repurpose older structures for new uses. Boddewyn Gaynor Architects has considerable experience with improvements to landmark buildings and with obtaining approvals from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 2010, the firm was designated a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. ### 3/5/15