The Orchard

Overview 

A development in Queens is set to claim the title of tallest residential building in the borough. The 69-story luxury tower has over 800 studios and one-and two-bedroom apartments. Residents will be able to enjoy amenities that include a fitness center, pool, spa, basketball court and movie screening room. An adjacent exposed concrete parking structure connects seamlessly with the tower’s ground floor lobby, and its roof - designed as an outdoor park - will become the largest occupiable roof in New York City.

We are providing structural design services to Perkins Eastman for the tower's development, which is expected to open in 2026.

Highlights

• The structure is constructed over an active rail tunnel, which necessitated a 10-foot-thick multi-level concrete mat that spans over the tunnel and supports the entire tower structure. 
• We engineered a series of full-story transfer girders, each over 17 feet tall and varying in width from seven to ten feet, to support the structure above a six-story podium housing a basketball court and an adjacent swimming pool.
• The building's height and slenderness required atypical engineering solutions, including a 14 KSI belt wall from the 37th to 38th floor with embedded steel plates to manage high stresses. A sloshing tank damper system on the 69th floor further mitigates motion and enhances occupant comfort.