Rudin family honored for the recladding of 215 East 68th Street; received 2013 Transformation Award from Friends of the Upper East Side Historical Districts

The Rudin family and its design team has been awarded the 2013 Transformation Award by Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts for the recladding of 215 East 68th St. Originally designed by the architectural firm of Emory Roth & Sons and built by Samuel, Jack, and Lewis Rudin and completed in 1962, 215 East 68th St. is a premier residential rental apartment building. Eric Rudin, president of Rudin Management, accepted the award on behalf of the Rudin family. Under the leadership of Forst Consulting & Architecture, FXFOWLE Architects and the Rudin Management design and construction team, the old, deteriorating white brick façade of the building has been removed and the entire building has been reclad with terracotta panels - a natural, and remarkably long-lasting, clay composition. The sparkling white glaze of the new terracotta was selected to recall the original brick color while adding accents of gray and black banding that enrich the composition. The horizontal emphasis of the bands and the larger scale of the terracotta panels has added dynamism to the ensemble of the building's masses and transformed the neighborhood. Beyond the aesthetics, the new high-performance façade has lowered the energy use of the building and enhanced the level of comfort for its tenants. The façade recladding was executed by the Brisk Waterproofing Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Façades. Eric Rudin said, "On behalf of the entire Rudin family, and our development team, I would like to thank Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts for this award. The e terracotta surface gives the building a new dignity and distinction of which we are very proud." Bruce Fowle, FAIA, LEED AP, founding principal, FXFOWLE Architects, LLP said, "This project has provided FXFOWLE a wonderful opportunity to explore and implement new technologies, sustainability, rehabilitation, and a fresh new esthetic to the white-brick apartment house genre that swept New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Let's hope this is the beginning of a major transformation of the urban context." Ralph Forst, president, Forst Consulting and Architecture, PLLC said, "The restoration of 215 East 68th St. was a unique melding of an old building with a new technology. It was a challenging project of huge magnitude. The Rudin family's perseverance throughout this process allowed the design team to follow a methodical path to a solution which further enhances an old landmark to a new level."