Richter+Ratner Cos. complete Sheila C. Johnson Design Center renovation

Richter+Ratner, a locally based construction management firm, has recently completed the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons The New School for Design. The 32,800 s/f center designed by architect Lyn Rice combines the ground level of four historic buildings to form an innovative, contemporary "urban quad" on the southwest corner of Fifth Ave. and 13th St. The center features the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery Auditorium and Archives in addition to the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries. This major renovation took place within a fully functioning, operational school where classes are conducted 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Extreme care was required not to disrupt the students and faculty and to ensure the safety of all. Movable tunnels were created almost daily to enable students and faculty to move from building to building, class to class while construction continued amongst them. The logistics of coordinating construction personnel, equipment, and materials, while taking into consideration the needs and safety of the university, represented a constant challenge. All new mechanical, electric and plumbing systems were installed and new chillers were threaded blindly over existing buildings into a newly excavated basement. The facility provides a new entry for the school as well as open critique space, a new auditorium, conservation quality art galleries/exhibition space and archives, new campus center - the skylit "urban quad," an orientation center, and new meeting rooms. With a long heritage of building in New York, R+R specializes in complex institutional, corporate, boutique, retail and residential projects. Our experience includes new construction, phased renovations, restorations and technically complex construction. R+R seeks out the most intelligent personnel and fosters an environment that motivates dedicated, loyal employees many of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years. Each member of R+R is committed to building relationships based on honesty, integrity and performance critical to each project's success and support of our overall reputation. Recent accomplishments include many award-winning projects, earning recognition from the American Institute of Architects, New York Construction, VM+SD and The Municipal Art Society of New York. R+R's commitment to health & safety is an underlying principle behind our dedication to excellence in the field of construction and paramount to our continued growth and success. Everyone has the right to go home each day and see their family. About Lyn Rice Architects Lyn Rice Architects is an award-winning, New York-based architectural practice that works on a range of building, planning, art and cultural research projects. The firm seeks to engage the public through innovative, contemporary built works that emerge from a rigorous and iterative design process. An emphasis is placed on the spatial and formal potentials of the program, and the integration of new construction techniques and materials. In addition to the Johnson Design Center, current and recent projects include a new Carriage Museum building on Staten Island, an Inner-Mongolian Villa (part of Ai Weiwei and Herzog & DeMeuron's 100 Ordos Master Plan), offices for The Joan Mitchell Foundation in New York's Chelsea Arts Tower, a master plan for Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois, along with multiple exhibition projects. Rice was formerly a principal of OpenOffice Arts + Architecture Collaborative, where he was partner-in-charge of Dia:Beacon in collaboration with artist Robert Irwin, and 80 Arts: The James E. Davis Arts Building for the BAM LDC. About The New School Located in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village, The New School is a center of academic excellence where intellectual and artistic freedoms thrive. The more than 9,600 matriculated students and approximately 5,300 continuing education students come from around the world to participate in a wide range of undergraduate to doctoral programs in art and design, the social sciences, management and urban policy, the humanities and the performing arts. When The New School was founded in 1919, its mission was to create a place where global peace and justice were more than theoretical ideals. Today, The New School continues that mission, with programs that strive to foster engaged world citizenship. The eight schools that make up The New School are: The New School for General Studies, The New School for Social Research, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, Parsons The New School for Design, Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, Mannes College The New School for Music, The New School for Drama, and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu. All photos copyright Michael Moran.