Property of the Month: John Ciardullo, P.C. and NYC SCA cut ribbon for 235,000 s/f Beacon High School at 522 West 44th Street

Manhattan, NY Beacon High School has inaugurated its new home at 522 West 44^th St. in the Theater District.  Working as architect and engineer for the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), the architectural studio of John Ciardullo P.C. (JC) designed the seven-story building by converting an existing six-story factory and warehouse from the 1920s into a cutting-edge public high school. The opening event included the unveiling of a stunning 80’ x 25’ mural by Eli Sudbrack and Beacon students. SCA president and CEO Lorraine Grillo said, “The SCA team, John Ciardullo, and Skanska worked closely together to bring this innovative project to a successful completion ahead of schedule. The result is a truly fabulous building.” “We expanded and converted the 205,000 s/f warehouse into a 235,000 s/f cutting-edge educational facility by adding a double-height seventh floor to the existing structure,” said John Ciardullo, AIA, principal of JC.  “The new school houses multiple performing arts venues, including the 5,376 s/f  auditorium.” The original warehouse was a concrete structure with round columns and low ceilings. The new high school will greatly alleviate the overcrowding of the former school facility, which was located in the Lincoln Center area. The new school complies with the SCA’s Green School Guide and the Local Law 86 of 2005, known as the NYC’s Green Building Law. The original warehouse was a concrete structure with round concrete mushroom columns and low ceiling height. In order to accommodate all of the school’s functional needs, particularly the gymnasium and the auditorium, the architects added the new seventh floor. The new floor is a steel-frame structure bolted to the concrete-frame building. Ceiling heights average 25’, allowing for the creation of performing and athletic facilities within. One of the design challenges was that the building stretches throughout a full block, at 200’ deep, which is unusual for a school.  “This means a lot of interior space without access to natural light,” said JC senior project architect Chuck Heaphy. “We addressed it by locating the classrooms on the perimeter to take advantage of the natural light. We then designed all large assembly spaces – the cafeteria, library, commons area, technology lab, and the theater – in the center of the floors.” The corridors feature glazed walls, so light could permeate the interior. The project team includes: • Architect: John Ciardullo P.C. • Client: NYC SCA • General contractor: Skanska USA Building, Inc. • Civil engineer and acoustical consultant: AKRF, Inc. • MEP engineer: DVL Consulting Engineers