minimized the generation of construc-

The new Bank of America Tower tion debris. In addition to these envi-
ronmental features, the project includes
at One Bryant Park, in midtown Manhattan, various public amenities and was instru-
mental in the reconstruction of Henry
has been designed and constructed using an Miller’s Theater, a Broadway playhouse
dating from 1918 that is located on the
integrated team approach. The 55-story structure northwestern corner of the site.

is poised to be formally recognized as a paragon

T
he design process for the struc-
ture was facilitated by a close rela-
of environmental stewardship and to serve tionship between the three teams
of consultants from the following firms:
as a model for the way that future office Cook+Fox Architects llp, Severud
Associates Consulting Engineers P.C.,
buildings are developed. and Jaros Baum & Bolles, all of New
York City. The efforts of these three
By Andrew Mueller-Lust, p.e., m.asce firms—which had worked together
on numerous other projects, including

Crystal Clear
several for the Durst Organization—
were augmented by the contribution of
the executive architect, Toronto-based
Adamson Associates Architects. Equally
important was the construction manage-

I
ment provided by Tishman Construc-
tion Corporation, of New York City.
Many contractors have been involved in
n early 2003, Bank of America was look- side of the Bryant Park block is occupied by another the project, including Civetta Cousins
ing for a new location for its New York City Durst building—4 Times Square, the headquarters of jv, of New York City, for the excavation
headquarters and trading operations. The Condé Nast—which was constructed in the late 1990s as and foundation; Owen Steel Company,
bank’s leaders envisioned an iconic building America’s first truly “green” office building. To expand Inc., of Columbia, South Carolina, for
that would mark their company’s presence on the principles that were incorporated in the Condé the structural steel; and Century Maxim
in the city and within the financial indus- Nast Building, the Durst family was intent on creating Construction Corporation, of Port
try. They also sought a structure that would a signature building that would make a strong statement Chester, New York, for the superstruc-
enable the bank to continue to recruit and about how environmentally benign a 21st-century office ture concrete.
retain world-class talent. The building, there- structure can be. Their goals matched those of Bank of Coordinating the work of these
fore, would require not only a large, central America, which made the Bryant Park site the perfect three contractors and of myriad oth-
site and a modern floor plan for the office location. ers would have been difficult under the
space but also intelligently designed and effi- Five years later, the 55-story Bank of America Tower best of circumstances, but the project’s
cient building systems—with fully redundant backup at One Bryant Park—jointly developed by Bank of location—in the center of midtown
systems—and a salubrious working environment. Fur- America and the Durst Organization—is nearing com- Manhattan less than a block from Times
thermore, the leaders of Bank of America also wanted pletion. Designed to be one of the first high-rise office Square—made the process significantly
their new headquarters to reflect and embody the prin- buildings in the world to earn a platinum certification— more challenging. Further complicating
ciples of sustainable development. the highest possible—from the U.S. Green Building matters, the site is bounded on one side
At the same time, the Durst Organization, also based Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental by a high-rise building and by subway
in New York City, sought to develop a The faceted crystal design
Design (leed) Green Building Rating lines on two other sides, which leaves
property that is located diagonally across of the 55-story Bank of System, the Bank of America Tower only the narrow roadway of 43rd Street
from Bryant Park, in midtown Manhattan. America Tower at One Bryant at One Bryant Park incorporates many for the delivery of materials and stag-
Park features crisp folds that
The site, which occupies approximately appear to be sculpted and
green building practices and technologies ing. The project’s hoisting complexes,
three-quarters of the block bounded by precise vertical lines animated that are designed to achieve the highest which included four low-rise and six
Sixth Avenue, Broadway, and 42nd and by the movement of the sun, possible performance. For instance, the high-rise cabs, were located there, and
the clouds, and the moon.
43rd streets, could definitely accommo- The structure has been
structure is designed to use less energy and the construction logistics also required
© dbox for Cook+Fox Architects

date the large floor plates and the height designed to earn the highest consume less water than a conventional the use of four cranes: one for erection
that a significant building would require. possible certification in the office tower. It features a high-quality of the podium structural steel, two for
U.S. Green Building Council’s
Moreover, the Durst family has long been Leadership in Energy and
interior environment that incorporated erection of the tower, and one for con-
a champion of sustainable development in Environmental Design (leed) many recycled materials, avoided materi- crete work in the tower.
design and construction. In fact, the west Green Building Rating System. als with volatile organic compounds, and The organizational effort by the

38 0885-7024-/08-0012-0038/$25.00 per article Civil Engineering December 2008 December 2008 Civil Engineering 39
© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers © 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers

members of the design and construction management teams was
particularly intensive because Bank of America will also be the
building’s primary tenant. Thus, the base building work and the under-floor air distribution which was erected in Bryant Park in 1853
work to meet the particular needs of the tenant had to proceed
concurrently. In addition to meeting the usual requirements of
the New York City Department of Buildings, the project team
had to deal with the New York City Department of Transporta-
tion, the New York City Transit Authority, the Consolidated glass
Edison Company of New York (the local power company), the
Empire State Development Corporation (the land owner), the on the glass is designed to of America Tower at One Bryant Park as a
New York State Historic Preservation Office (for Henry Miller’s
Theater), and other agencies having jurisdiction over some part
of the project site or its immediate surroundings.
Close collaboration was necessary to fully integrate the glass
architectural, structural, and mechanical designs. Work began
with an intensive design period that included as many of the stake- along with precise vertical lines that are animated by the move-
holders as possible and was followed by design charettes for sig- ment of the sun, the clouds, and the moon. The transparency of
nificant parts of the structure, such as the spire, the screen walls, the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows provides evocative views
and the theater. Facilitated retreats, attended by representatives of both from and through the space; the space between the northern
40
© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
the developer and members the design and
construction teams, took place at strategic
intervals throughout the design phases, as
well as during the construction phase, to
help set goals, prevent or address problems,
and keep all the parties on track and in
communication.
The complicated nature of the design
and building program required a great
deal of testing to produce the iconic form,
integrate the features that are in keeping
with the goals of sustainable development,
and meet the client’s rigorous mechanical
and security requirements. The $1.3-bil-
lion building includes 2.2 million sq ft
(204,000 m²) of office and trading space
spread over 51 occupied floors. Besides this
there are three expansive cellars—measuring
approximately 200 by 440 ft (61 by 122 m)
beneath the building—and four mechanical
floors at the top. The deepest cellar is 60 ft
(18.3 m) below ground level, and the high-
est point on the roof is 882 ft (269 m) above
ground level. The peak of the angled screen
wall reaches a height of 945 ft (288 m) while
the 300 ft (91 m) architectural spire tops out
at 1,200 ft (366 m) above the sidewalk.
At the base of the tower, the floor plan
shows two rectangles separated by a distance
of 15 ft (4.6 m) to form northern and southern
volumes. At a point approximately a third of
the way up the building, the corners of each
rectangle start to taper inward. As a result,
© dbox for Cook+Fox Architects
the building takes on a crystalline appearance
near the top, an effect that is enhanced by the
use of highly transparent, low-iron glass for
the curtain walls.
The basic form of the building was
The high ceilings—at inspired by the Crystal Palace, the first glass
least 9.5 ft (2.9 m) tall—
facilitated the use of an
and light-frame metal structure in America,
system, which is expected but destroyed by fire five years later. The
to reduce the amount
of energy that fans will
vision for the new building was based, in
need to circulate the air. part, on a concept called biophilia, which
The windows feature suggests that human beings have an innate
extremely clear, low-iron
from floor to ceiling.
kinship with the natural world. Exploring
A low-emissivity coating this notion, the team designed the Bank
help control heat loss and
gain, and a frit pattern
daylight-infused workplace that would offer
of small ceramic dots silk- the most transparent connection possible
screened directly on the between indoor and outdoor environments.
is expected to control
exposure to the sun.
The faceted crystal design of the tower fea-
tures crisp folds that appear to be sculpted,
Civil Engineering December 2008
and southern volumes further facilitates views from Although the highest point granulated blast furnace slag (gbfs), a waste prod-
inside. The verticality of the building embraces the on the roof is 882 ft uct of the steel smelting process. Using gbfs reduced
(269 m) above ground level,
urban environment while the configuration of the the peak of the angled material waste by 17,000 tons (15,000 metric tons),
base is designed to accommodate and enhance pedes- screen wall reaches a height reduced the use of new cement—along with the
trian and transportation circulation. of 945 ft (288 m), and the energy required to produce it—by another 17,000
300 ft (91 m) architectural
The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park spire tops out at 1,200 ft tons (15,000 metric tons), and reduced the emis-
will also complement the structures nearby. The (366 m) above the sidewalk. sion of carbon dioxide by nearly 16,000 tons (14,500
new tower preserves the landmark facade of Henry metric tons). Studies have shown that concrete with a
Miller’s Theater, while the eight-story podium calls to mind the high gbfs content is stronger than normal concrete—by as much as
signage band on the Condé Nast Building to the west. A narrow 25 percent at 56 days—and can also be denser and more durable.
strip of distinctive curtain wall on the south elevation reflects the Because there are many different potential uses of the space within
venerable Bush Tower on the other side of 42nd Street, while the the building, there are many different live loads. Most of the loads
recessed curtain wall at the southeastern corner—at the building’s are moderate and range from 50 psf (2,400 Pa) for offices to 100 psf
entrance—mirrors the hbo building across Sixth Avenue. The (4,800 Pa) for trading floors. But there are higher loads as well: for
entrance itself is focused on the namesake Bryant Park, which example, the loading docks were designed for 250 psf (12,000 Pa)
is diagonally opposite the busy intersection of two major traffic while the ground floor, which was used as a staging area for various
arteries. An urban garden room, a two-story-high enclosed public construction activities, was designed for live loads of up to 600 psf
space at the building’s northeast corner, serves as an extension (29,000 Pa). Various green features created high loads as well.
of the outdoor Grace Plaza to the east. The lower third of the One of the more significant green features of the structure is
building—below the point where the curtain wall begins to its 4.6 MW power plant, a natural-gas-fired turbine that will both
taper inward—respects the more conservative corporate towers produce electricity and use the waste heat to generate hot water
that line the upper reaches of Sixth Avenue. The vertical plane for heating the building in winter and cooling it in summer via an
that separates the northern half of the building from the higher absorption chiller. Operating at 73 percent efficiency, the cogenera-
southern half is a traditional midblock division in Manhattan. tion power plant should produce enough clean energy to supply
Above the cellar mechanical levels, the building has an eight- approximately two-thirds of the building’s energy needs. Support-
story podium, the office tower rising above it. The podium ing the necessary mechanical equipment proved a challenge for the
houses a variety of spaces, including the lobby, retail shops, designers, especially because the turbine had to be acoustically iso-
the theater, and space for public amenities. At approximately lated and because the device’s high operating speeds can produce
88,000 sq ft (8,200 m²), the podium covers the entire site, while tremendous loads if stopped suddenly. To take advantage of the
the tower is set back at the eastern end of the podium and fea- latest developments in cogeneration technology, the design of
tures a maximum floor plate of approximately the plant was not finalized until after the space it would occupy
35,000 sq ft (3,250 m²). The building is mostly was finalized, which meant that extensive field modifications
steel framed and features reinforced-concrete were required before the plant could be installed.
shear walls at the core. The floors are concrete Gravity loads are distributed between the core
fill on composite metal decks and are supported walls and the exterior columns, which vary from
by composite steel beams that feature a 40 ft simple wide-flange shapes at the top of the struc-
(12.2 m) clear span in the tower and a 45 ft ture to reinforced wide-flange and built-up box
(13.7 m) clear span in the podium. sections at the base. The design features column
The primary structural materials used spacing that is a multiple of that in the office
in construction helped the project attain its planning module, which makes the spacing
goals for recycled material content. Struc- of the exterior columns appropriate for both
tural steel is a highly recycled product, architectural and structural engineering pur-
and that used in the Bank of America poses. At the same time, various steps were
Tower at One Bryant Park, which taken to ensure unobstructed views from
amounted to approximately 25,000 inside the building. For example, at the
tons (22,700 metric tons), had a recy- lower portions of the building, the northeast
cled content of at least 75 percent. Fur- and southwest corners cantilever beyond
thermore, the project used more than the columns to create two 80 ft (24 m)
86,000 cu yd (66,000 m³) of concrete lengths of unobstructed wall. To control
in the building, roughly a quar- deflection and share the live load between
s
ter of it in the foundation and the floors, the tips of the cantilevers are tied
Architect
rest divided more or less equally together vertically with small pipe ele-
k+Fox
between the shear walls and the ments that are not much wider than the
o for Coo
floor slabs. The building’s cement curtain wall mullions.
also included a high proportion Early in the design phase, the architects
ottle, E st
of recycled material: 45 percent studied the curtain wall to decide what
© Ja ck P
(by weight) of the cement was would be the most desirable aesthetically.
December 2008 Civil Engineering 41
© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
 Rock anchors with double corrosion protection tie the core footings
down and resist the uplift forces created by the lateral loads.
When the space in the ceilings for the return air ductwork is roof will be collected and stored; only during extreme weather
added, the result is a typical floor-to-floor height of 14.5 ft (4.4 m). events will the excess rainwater drain into the city’s sewers.
This helps to explain why the tower has fewer floors than might be The rainwater collected—an estimated 4 ft (1.2 m) a year—as
expected for an 882 ft (269 m) tall building. The structure’s height well as the groundwater that flows into sump pits in the cellar—at
also affected the column and lateral design, especially toward the a rate of 5,000 gal (19,000 L) per day—will be stored in five tanks
top of the building, where the perimeter moment-resisting frame staged throughout the building. Other sources of water that will be
carries a greater proportion of the wind and seismic loads. collected include condensate from steam and from air-conditioning
The tower is founded on bedrock, mostly Manhattan schist, equipment and water from washroom sinks. After being treated,
with a very high allowable bearing pressure of 40 tons per square this gray water will be used to flush toilets and supply the cooling
foot (3.8 million Pa). This means that even the heaviest column towers. In comparison, nearly every office building in the United
loads, which can reach approximately 12,000 kips (53.4 million States today uses potable water for these purposes. Waterless urinals
N), are supported on spread footings up to 13 ft (4 m) square. are being installed in all of the men’s restrooms. This feature alone is
Moreover, the core shear walls, which contain nearly 27,000 cu expected to save 3 million gal (11.4 million L) of water a year. With
yd (20,600 m³) of concrete, rest on continuous footings that are the aid of other low-flow fixtures and the system for reusing gray
14 ft (4.3 m) wide and 8 ft (2.4 m) deep. Rock anchors with double water, the building will consume less than half of the potable water
corrosion protection tie the core footings down and resist the uplift that a typical office building of the same size would use, and it is
forces created by the lateral loads. expected to discharge even less.
The foundation walls resist both the lateral earth The back of the facade of Henry

The choice was between mullions that were sloped
The foundation walls resist both
pressure and the significant hydrostatic pressures
that result from the fact that most of the below-
ground portions of the building are also below the
Although the high ceilings alone did not affect surrounding groundwater table. The lowest cellar is
D
Miller’s Theater was stabilized
uring the design of the building’s founda-
from the outside via supports
that were installed through tions, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers,
the window openings and over of New York City, the project’s geotechni-
the top of the facade. These
cal engineer, was concerned about the temporary

Severud Associates Consulting Engineers, P.C.

supports were then tied back to
perpendicular to the skewed building line and thus the lateral earth pressure and the the structural design of the building, the increased approximately 60 ft (18.3 m) below grade, whereas the vertical bracing system that support for the excavation and the about effect the
significant hydrostatic pressures
would appear to be vertical and mullions that were caused by the fact that the lowest floor heights did make it possible to use an under- the groundwater table perched atop bedrock is only kept the facade stable during the excavation would have on the adjacent structures.
demolition and reconstruction.
perpendicular to the core and thus would appear ver- cellar is approximately 60 ft floor air system, which greatly contributes to the about 15 ft (4.6 m) below grade. Thus, hydrostatic The foundation is, on average, 50 ft (15.2 m) below
The square plates embedded in
tical only in projected elevation. The framing studies (18.3 m) below grade whereas the quality of the indoor environment. In virtually all pressures and water infiltration clearly influenced the foundation walls were used ground level, the deepest portions exceeding 60 ft
groundwater table perched atop
concluded that the sloping elements should align with bedrock is only about 15 ft (4.6 m) office buildings in the United State, air is distrib- the foundation design, which features walls that are as connection points for the steel (18.3 m). At the western side of the site, the founda-
framing of the new building.
the core, which resulted not only in aligning the below grade. Thus the foundation uted through ducts in the ceiling plenum. The air waterproofed and socketed into bedrock at their tion for the Condé Nast Building bears on rock that
design features walls that have
mullions with the columns but also in more efficient is then blown downward via registers in the ceiling bases to prevent groundwater from fill-
been waterproofed and socketed
framing and curtain wall fabrication. into bedrock at their bases to and mixes with the air already in the room, which ing up the site. However, since even the
The crystalline form of the tower began simply cut off groundwater that would can also lead to an even distribution of dust, germs, soundest bedrock contains joints and fis-
otherwise attempt to fill up the
as an attempt to maximize the views of Bryant Park and allergens. By contrast, this building’s air distri- sures, some water infiltration is expected
site. To collect any water that does
and the surrounding cityscape from the building. infiltrate the basement, a drainage bution system supplies air from beneath the raised over time. To collect this water and prevent
The shape is based on the concept of biomimicry, layer and a system of perforated floor. The heat generated by the occupants and flooding, the basement features a drainage
which recognizes that forms found in nature often piping were installed beneath the their computers and other equipment will draw layer and a system of perforated piping that
slab on grade. The collected water
present the most efficient and useful structures. This will be directed to sump pits the fresh air upward, so less energy will be needed was installed beneath the slab on grade. The
certainly proved to be the case at the Bank of Amer- and then into the building’s sys- to circulate the air via fans. Individual air diffusers collected water will be directed to sump pits
tem for reusing gray water.
ica Tower at One Bryant Park, where the sloping in the floor will allow all workers to adjust the flow and then into the system that the building
form also exposes more of the building to the sky of air around their desks, minimizing the circula- will use for recycling gray water.
above, reduces both its mass and its potentially massive appearance, tion of airborne pathogens and helping to ensure that the office Although the abundant groundwater
and gives pedestrians at street level better access to light and air. The space is neither too hot nor too cold. posed a potential structural challenge, it
sloping exterior columns that follow the faceted walls also proved to Although most Americans spend 90 percent of their time has been put to productive use. Like other
be an efficient structural solution to framing the building. indoors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has deter- major U.S. cities, New York City has a
To make the most of the exceptional views, the architects mined that indoor air can be even more polluted than the air out- combined sewer and storm-water system.
specified extremely clear, low-iron glass from floor to ceiling. To doors. Unfortunately, the mechanical ventilation system in a typical This means that during significant rains,
control heat loss and gain, the design team decided against using office building in New York City will probably filter out only about the sewage treatment facilities routinely
fully opaque glass and insulation and instead had a low-emissivity 35 percent of airborne particulates. But the heating, ventilation, and become overwhelmed by the volume of

Severud Associates Consulting Engineers, P.C.

coating applied to the glass throughout. The glass also features an air-conditioning system in this structure is designed to capture 95 surface runoff, and as a result, partially
intricate frit pattern—small ceramic dots silk-screened directly percent of such particulates, along with ozone and volatile organic treated sewage is discharged into nearby
onto the glass—to control exposure to the sun. The frit pattern compounds. As a result, the air discharged from the building will waterways. The Bank of America Tower
is denser near the tops and bottoms of the windows than in the actually be much cleaner than the air entering. at One Bryant Park, in contrast, will
middle portions, providing both a sense of security for viewers and To accommodate the space needed for the power and informa- contribute almost no storm water to the
clear views at eye level. The high ceilings—at least 9.5 ft (2.9 m) tion technology cabling, as well as for the under-floor air supply municipal sewer system. During normal
tall—contribute to the feeling of openness. system, the raised floors are 14 in. (356 mm) above the floor slabs. storms, all rain falling on the building’s

42 Civil Engineering December 2008 December 2008 Civil Engineering 43

© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers © 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
 B
is approximately 40 ft (12.2 m) below grade. Thus, fully develop- side because of the relatively narrow space that exists between the Stantec, Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta—will complement the glass oth the construction methods and the construction
ing the cellar space initially planned for this structure would have building’s foundation wall and the subway tracks. This narrow space is walls of the building lobby. sequence for the building were considered during the early
required underpinning a fully occupied 44-story office building. almost fully occupied by the pedestrian passageway described above. Because it was located outside the property line, the existing stages of the design phase. This required close collaboration on
Instead, the design team decided to eliminate the potential stability Working closely with the construction manager and the geotechnical subway entrance at the southeastern corner of the site did not the part of the structural engineer and the construction manager, as
issues by stepping back the tower’s foundations to avoid the influence engineer, the foundation contractor developed a braced-frame system adversely affect the support system for the tower. But its presence well as by the architect and the mechanical engineer. While means
lines from the existing footings of the Condé Nast Building. that not only braced the subway tunnel but also supported a tempo- did affect the layout of the cellars. Making full use of the space and methods are not usually the concern of the structural engineer,
Of similar concern to the design and construction teams was rary sidewalk at grade while the passageway was built below. beneath the proposed new station entrance would have required the manner in which this building was framed had to be taken into
the temporary support of the facade of Henry Miller’s Theater, To the east, the temporary support for the subway tunnel along the project to temporarily support the existing station and then account from the start. Since steel erection was scheduled to precede
which is protected as a New York City landmark. The brick and Sixth Avenue employed traditional wales and tiebacks. At the north- excavate and construct the foundation and the framing system the placement of the concrete core walls, the core framing had to
terra-cotta facade, which is 80 ft (24.4 m) wide and 50 ft (15.2 m) ern end of the site, however, the tunnel had been bored rather than, as beneath the new entrance before constructing the entrance itself. be designed as a temporary structure and limited to a height of 12
high, could not be demolished but instead had to be preserved in was the case with the remainder of the tunnel, constructed by means Because the schedule could not accommodate this construction stories; this temporary framing had to support only itself before being
place. The theater’s interior did not have landmark status and thus of cut-and-cover techniques. New York City Transit was particularly sequence, the owner and the design team decided to locate the encased in concrete.
could be demolished. But before this work could begin, the facade concerned about the redistribution of stresses in the rock around foundation walls inboard of the new entrance. Although this This system, whereby a light-
was stabilized by an external steel framework that cantilevered the northern portion of this tunnel. To address these concerns, the approach did reduce the amount of space available, it also sim- weight steel frame is erected and
from the sidewalk. To monitor the condition of the facade once geotechnical engineer designed a system of prestressed rock anchors plified the excavation support and made it possible for the con- then encased in concrete,
demolition commenced—and throughout the preservation— that were installed above the tunnel to minimize changes in stresses struction of the building and of
vibration monitors and inclinometers were during excavation of the rock. A plan to monitor the subway entrance to proceed
installed at representative locations along the A lthough the the tunnel via strain gauges and seismographs also simultaneously.
facade’s height and width. These devices were was developed.
connected via the Internet to a workstation that
depth of the Although the depth of the cellars made
was staffed whenever work was in progress. cellars made the the tower foundation difficult to construct, it
Because of space limitations, the entrance for
the new theater will be located at the balcony
tower foundation also created sufficient space for an innovative
thermal storage system that is designed to save
level, which put the stage and orchestra levels difficult to energy. As in most large cities, the electric power
belowground. When combined with the dress- grid in New York struggles to keep up with
ing room spaces and the base building mechanical
construct it , demand during peak periods. At such times—
requirements, the walls beneath the new theater also created in the early afternoon on a hot August day, for
will extend two levels below the existing base-
ment wall and thus will constitute the deepest
sufficient space example—the power utility is forced to use its
oldest, dirtiest generating plants. Because an
portion of the building’s foundation. As a result, for an innovative estimated 90 percent of the air pollution in New
The Bank of America Tower at
some underpinning was required to ensure that
the existing basement wall would bear on compe-
thermal storage York is caused by just 50 percent of the city’s
power plants, one of the goals of the designers
One Bryant Park features an
eight-story podium that calls to
tent rock. Because of an unfavorable dip into the system that and owners of the Bank of America Tower at mind the signage band on the
nearby Condé Nast Building,
site of the rock jointing, a 4 ft (1.2 m) wide rock One Bryant Park was to ensure that the build-
ledge had to be maintained under the existing
is designed to ing would not add to this burden on the city’s
located on the western side
of Bryant Park. The podium
wall and beyond it at either end. As demolition save energy . infrastructure. houses a variety of spaces; the
mixed-use ground floor includes
progressed, rock anchors were drilled at intervals To help implement this strategy, a thermal the lobby, retail shops, Henry
to stabilize the rock strata. storage plant is located in the lowest cellar. Its 44 units produce Miller’s Theater, and space for
and store ice at night, when energy demand is low and the cogen- public amenities. The building

T
is mostly steel framed and fea-
he Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park is located eration plant can produce more power than the building needs. tures reinforced-concrete shear
between two major stations of the New York City subway Then, during the day, the melting of the ice will supplement the walls at the core. Its angled fac-
system: the Times Square station, one of the system’s busiest air-conditioning system, thus reducing the building’s peak power ets were designed to maximize
the amount of light and air that
and a transfer point for a number of lines, and the Bryant Park station, demand and creating a much more level and efficient rate of power reach the street.
which is on the Sixth Avenue subway line. The underground por- consumption. Because the local utility charges more for power dur-
tions of the building include a pedestrian passageway that will even- ing periods of peak demand, a reduction in the building’s demand
tually connect these two subway stations. When the last section of the at peak times will save money for the building’s tenants.
passageway—south of the Condé Nast Building—is constructed, a An existing subway station entrance at the corner of Sixth
midblock subway entrance will be added to the passage. The entrance Avenue and 42nd Street had to be altered because the stairways
© dbox for Cook+Fox Architects

will take the form of a two-story-high public space on the western leading into the station were located at the curb, partially blocking
side of the tower. The passageway itself is constructed as a concrete the sidewalk. New York City Transit required that the stairways
box with a roof slab to carry the sidewalk loads and overburden, walls be replaced, that an elevator be added, and that the new entrance
to resist lateral earth pressure and carry the loads down to floor level, be located within the property line of the tower site to keep the
and a floor slab to spread the entire load over the full width of the pas- sidewalk clear. To accommodate the location of the new subway
sageway. The box is independent of the main building foundation. entrance, the building’s lobby was set back on the eastern and south-
On the eastern and southern sides of the site, the existing New ern sides, creating a wide, open area in front of the main entrance.
York City Transit tunnels had to be protected. It was, however, diffi- A glass enclosure for the subway stairs and elevator—designed by
cult to provide temporary support for the excavation on the southern the New York City office of Vollmer Associates—now part of

44 Civil Engineering December 2008 December 2008 Civil Engineering 45

© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers © 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
dates back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. But it never achieved The tower’s location in Bryant Park, where crowds can gather on summer
widespread use, mainly because of the problems associated with coor- evenings to watch an outdoor movie, enables passersby to see the building
at its full height. Unlike other skyscrapers, the Bank of America Tower at One
dinating the steel and concrete work and because of a lack of efficient Bryant Park will contribute almost no storm water to the municipal sewer
forming systems at that time. More recently, though, building owners system. Instead, all rain falling on the building’s roof will be collected and
have sought hardened elevator shafts and stairways for their structures, stored for use in the building’s gray water system; only during extreme
weather events will the excess rainwater drain into the city’s sewers.
which has tended to make this construction methodology more attrac-
tive. Because the vertical transportation core walls will be concrete
regardless of the structural system, a project can take advantage of the This disparity alone makes it extremely difficult to predict the initial
inherent stiffness of the core walls without sacrificing the rapid pace of and final deformations of the columns. The concrete encasement of
erection that is possible with steel-framed buildings. the core columns then creates an additional complication. After the
The system is not without its complications, however. The use concrete is placed, the compressive stresses accumulate in the shear
of so-called jump-formed systems, wherein the concrete walls are walls, not in the steel columns, at the same rate as at the exterior. But
constructed first using self-climbing formwork and the steel framing shrinkage and creep also occur as the concrete ages. To accommodate
follows behind, is not standard practice in New York City. Instead, these factors, the design team developed a software tool incorporating
steel erection almost always precedes concrete work on buildings the results of differential shortening studies to predict the magnitude,
in which both materials are used. Consequently, such buildings pattern, and timing of the shortening of the columns. Initially, the anal-
are usually designed as steel frames with concrete encasement, ysis was based on the steel erection and concrete placement schedules
the Condé Nast Building being a recent example. Unfortunately, projected by the construction manager. As construction progressed,
the slower pace of concrete construction the actual column loads and concrete ages
can adversely affect the project schedule, In contrast to the case were used to refine the results.
and the formwork involved is very labor The analysis indicated that, in the
intensive and expensive.
with many enclosed short term, the core columns would
,
To maintain the pace of construction roofs the curtain walls shorten more than the perimeter col-
on the project while simplifying the con-
nection details and the concrete form-
around the mechanical umns, at least initially, but that as the
building grew higher the perimeter
work, the steel framing of the core and equipment are not columns would begin to shorten by a
its perimeter was modified so that a self- greater amount. Over the long term,
climbing formwork system could be used.
visual screens a clear ; , the shrinkage and creep shortening of
The core itself was framed with columns fritted glass similar to the concrete walls predominated over
and beams just as it would have been for a
conventional steel building, but the fram-
that used on the office the shortening at the perimeter, while
the total shortening of the core became
ing was much lighter because it needed to floors is used . greater. This tendency varied in magni-
support only 12 stories at most before it tude from slight at the base of the build-
was encased in concrete. The inner forms of the self-climbing system ing to pronounced at the top of the structure.
move up with the hoisting platform and are supported by the concrete Had shortening not been accounted for during erection of the
walls around each elevator bank. To accommodate the outer forms, steel frame, the floor framing would have sloped downward from
however, slots were framed in the region surrounding the core. Each the perimeter of the building towards the center. To prevent this,
slot was approximately 3 ft (0.9 m) wide and 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12.2 m) the column splice elevations were surveyed immediately after the
long, depending on which side of the core the slot was located. The erection of each column lift. The surveys were reviewed imme-
outer member of each slot supports the floor framing, and at each end diately, and where necessary, shims were added to the next core
a girder transfers the gravity load to the core columns. column splices. The installation of the shims started about halfway
As erection of the steel frame progressed, the placement of up the building and continued until the columns topped out. The
concrete on each floor followed, the slots being left open. The slots final surveys indicated that the floors are higher at the center than at
allowed the outer wall forms to be hoisted to the platform above. the perimeter—as desired—and should remain that way or become
After all of the formwork had been lifted, the slots were closed up level after the majority of the concrete creep has occurred.
with framed concrete slabs. The framing of the building’s roof was in essence no different
One issue that has to be addressed in any high-rise building from the framing of the floors. However, because all of the walls
is the differential column shortening that can occur between the slope inward toward the top, the roof areas are substantially smaller
core and the perimeter columns. Because of the combined steel than they would be for a more prismatic building. After allowing
and concrete core construction of the Bank of America Tower at for the cooling towers, window-washing equipment, and other
One Bryant Park, this issue loomed even larger. The steel columns rooftop mechanical apparatuses, there was very little space left for
in the core quickly reach their maximum stress levels during the supporting the screen wall that extends as much as 60 ft (18.3 m)
© Cook+Fox Architects LLP

erection of the steel frame because their loads are temporary. The above the roof surface. Cross bracing could not be accommodated
exterior columns, on the other hand, do not accommodate loads because it would have interfered with the cooling towers and the
that approach their design levels until after the building has been window-washing rigs. As a result, the walls were cantilevered.
completed. As a result, there is a large disparity between the short- In contrast to the case with many enclosed roofs, the curtain walls
ening of the interior columns and that of the exterior columns. around the mechanical equipment are not (Continued on page 70)

46 Civil Engineering December 2008

© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers © 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
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70
© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers
Crystal Clear
(Continued from page 47) visual screens;
a clear, fritted glass similar to that used on
the office floors is used. Consequently, the
structure supporting the curtain walls is vis-
ible from outside. Although the design team
originally planned to use welded details to
give the framing a simple, clean appearance
that would match the spire, this approach
became prohibitively expensive because of
the number of pieces involved. Instead, bolted
connections were developed that matched the
welded ones as closely as possible.
All of the elements that frame the screen
wall are fabricated from hollow structural
sections. Although such tube-to-tube con-
nections usually employ end plates or shear
tabs, neither approach would work here.
End plates were not practical because the
supporting members also were tubes and it
would have been difficult to access the inside
of the tubes; shear tabs could not effectively
transmit the torsional loads and would not
resemble the welded connections. On the
other hand, sleeve connections, wherein
manager, as well as the contractors. Despite its complexity, the
were able to transfer the necessary forces and
in most cases were nearly identical in appear-
ance to the fully welded joints.
The vertical cantilever members are
two-chord trusses that feature shop-welded
diagonals. The horizontal members are
single tubes: hss 10 × 8 in front to carry
the curtain wall panels and hss 6 × 6 at the
back to provide the lateral support to the
cantilevers. To connect the horizontals to
the verticals, slightly smaller stubs—hss 9
× 7 in front and hss 5 × 5 in back—were
shop-welded to the vertical members. One
face at the end of each horizontal mem-
ber was then cut out so that the horizontal
unit could be slipped over the stub. Finally,
either two or four bolts were passed verti-
cally through the horizontal member and
the stub to lock the connection in place.
A
t the top of the building, the
300 ft (91.4 m) high architectural
spire is purely an aesthetic element
that continues the taper of the faceted walls
to a single point at its tip. Originally envi-
sioned as a completely welded lattice of
steel pipes, the spire was actually fabricated
as a series of shop-welded subassemblies
that were bolted together in the field. At its
base, the spire is a parallelogram approxi-
Maxim Construction Corporation, Port Chester, New York
Civil Engineering December 2008
built up from 25 ft (7.6 m) high sections. Toward the top, the spire
was erected in complete segments, each 25 ft (7.6 m) high.
The spire was included in the wind tunnel testing for the struc-
ture and was modeled separately as well to determine appropriate
lateral loads for design. Given its aspect ratio of approximately 20,
the forces that develop in the legs of the spire are very high; in fact, Synergis Engineering Design Solutions provides civil
they are several times greater than the total weight of the spire. To engineering firms with practical solutions to make
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braces of the spire were tied into the floor framing at three levels. We accomplish this through a unique blend of
services, Autodesk products, and continual training
This provided some redundancy and also minimized both the
spire’s base rotation and the lateral deflection at its tip. opportunities, specifically catered to maximize
The building was originally designed to have a second, shorter business efficiency.
spire that was to support a wind turbine. But this idea and others, such With over 23 years of experience and a team of
as the use of photovoltaics in the curtain wall, were abandoned after industry-dedicated experts, Synergis partners with
careful evaluation of the costs and benefits. In the end, only the strate- you to determine the best solutions and provide
gies that represented a reasonable return on investment were pursued the guidance necessary to facilitate success.
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AutoCAD • AutoCAD Civil 3D • AutoCAD Map 3D
construction of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park
has proceeded with surprisingly few complications.
Although the building will not be fully completed until next fall,
tenants began to occupy the building in May of this year, and the
building is now approximately half full. Initial reviews have been Washington
glowing and, of greater importance, the building has been well Roebling’s Father
received by the owner and the occupants. As the building’s systems
enter into normal operation and the savings in energy and water are A Memoir of
realized, it should become “crystal” clear that this structure—and the John A. Roebling
way in which it was designed and constructed—can serve as a model
Donald Sayenga, Editor
of sustainable development for office buildings of the 21st century. n
Brilliant, irascible John A.
Andrew Mueller-Lust, P.E., M.ASCE, is a principal of Severud Associ- Roebling achieved renown
ates Consulting Engineers, P.C., in New York City and was the project as a canal engineer, bridge
designer, and wire rope
executive. Cook+Fox Architects llp also contributed to this article, and innovator. His son Washington
the author wishes to express his gratitude for their assistance. won fame for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge.
During 1893–1907, Washington wrote about his father’s life,
P roj ec t C r e d its Owner: One Bryant Park, llp, New character, career, and achievements with candor and intimate
details. Part biography, part memoir, this remarkable narrative
York City Developer: The Durst Organization, New York City is now available, accompanied by extensive annotations
Design architect: Cook+Fox Architects llp, New York City explaining people, places, events, and technologies. This rare
Architect of record: Adamson Associates Architects, Toronto glimpse into the genius and failings of two towering figures
Structural engineer: Severud Associates Consulting Engi- is a must-read for civil engineers, bridge enthusiasts, and
industrial historians.
neers, P.C., New York City Mechanical engineer: Jaros Baum
& Bolles, New York City Geotechnical consultant: Mueser 2009 / Softcover / 284 pp / ISBN 978-0-7844-0949-7
Rutledge Consulting Engineers, New York City Construction Stock #40949 / List $45.00 / ASCE Members $33.75
manager: Tishman Construction Corporation, New York City
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Foundation contractor: Civetta Cousins jv, New York City Call Toll Free 1-800-548-2723 or 1-703-295-6300 (Int’l)
Structural steel contractor and erector: Owen Steel Com-
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Inc., Woodbury, New Jersey Concrete contractor: Century
December 2008 Civil Engineering WASHINGTON ROEBLINGS QUARTER PG AD.indd 1
71
11/17/08 1:58:17 PM
© 2008 American Society of Civil Engineers