200 Fifth Ave
New York, N.Y.

The 14-story landmark, restored and transformed into a premier office building with Thornton Tomasetti as structural engineer, has received LEED Gold certification. Constructed in 1909, the 850,000-sf building features such sustainable design elements as a light-filled vertical garden in the courtyard, which provides insulation, conserves energy and reduces storm water runoff, and the use of many locally manufactured and pre-assembled building materials and components. In addition to structural design, Thornton Tomasetti performed historic façade restoration design, exterior wall consulting for a new glass curtain wall and façade engineering for the structural glass entrance and canopy. Structural alterations included widening the existing courtyard and creating a three-story lobby space. Elevator lobbies at the east end of the courtyard were extended to the entire height of the building. The lobbies were enclosed by a structurally glazed façade with terracotta louvers facing the courtyard. This ambitious restoration project, completed earlier this year, was designed by Studios Architecture.