Gati of Architecture Studio wins Building Award from the QBBA

William Gati, AIA, of Architecture Studio, received the Building Award from the Queens Bronx Builders Association (QBBA) for the Lawrence Blum, M.D. Ophthalmology, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Center, a 10,000 s/f medical office. It is located on the second floor of a new condo development in Kew Gardens on Metropolitan Ave. and 118th St. above a TD Bank and next door to Montrose Surveying and other commercial and office buildings. The space includes 20 separate offices, exam and procedure rooms, reception area, operatory, lunch room and eyeglass sales. The original space had exposed concrete walls, floors and ceilings and not much else. They built out the floors, walls and ceilings and provided all interior design and decorating services in addition to construction administration services. They also incorporated energy efficiency and green features, such as insulation, energy efficient lighting and appliances. The space is heated and cooled with a high efficient system. The project came in on time and under budget and the contractor did not request or receive any change orders. The project was built according to the plans and no as-built plans were necessary because there were no changes from the approved plans. The architect was Architecture Studio. This project took a while to design. Blum changed locations and wanted to stay at there until he retired, so he had to carefully think about his long-term goals. The acquisition and construction cost has made this project easily affordable for Blum.