In October of 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, damaging many downtown buildings. One of these was 125 Barclay Street, the headquarters of District Council 37 (DC37), which is the largest public employee union in New York City.
“We wanted to be understated, but at the same time create a space that felt special and uniquely suited to the identity of DC37.”
Ryan Berman, Senior Designer, The Switzer Group
For many years, the union’s employees worked in other buildings while repairs were underway. More recently, the work expanded to include a top-to-bottom overhaul of the headquarters. When employees recently returned to 125 Barclay, they found themselves in an environment that DC37 describes as “modernized” and “state-of-the-art.” Connections spoke with The Switzer Group (the project’s architect) and Syska Hennessy’s lighting team to learn more about the design concepts underpinning the building’s transformation and how lighting was integrated into the architectural details.
"It has a lot of presence. You know you’re walking into a special place.”
MaryAnn Hay, Senior Principal, Syska Hennessy
Design Goal
Ryan Berman, senior designer at The Switzer Group, says that the design goal was to preserve and “celebrate” many of the existing elements of the 12-story, 264,700-square-foot structure while aiming for a “simple and strong” aesthetic. To do so, he and his colleague Greg Gresham, executive creative principal, decided to expose as much of the concrete in the interior as possible, adding blackened steel, wood, and terrazzo. For the exterior, they opted for a recladding with a combination of glass and terracotta. “We wanted to be understated, but at the same time create a space that felt special and uniquely suited to the identity of DC37,” Ryan notes.
In Ryan’s view, lighting provides “extra sparkle” or “jewelry” to the architecture. He points to several spaces where the relationship between the two is especially notable: First, the entrance, which is a large, double-height space, sets the mood with vertical luminous rods. Enhancing the mood in the large multipurpose room is a three-dimensional luminous ceiling. This ceiling features a stretch membrane installed below LED boards, which provide diffuse lighting that emulates a skylight.
When MaryAnn Hay, senior principal of Syska’s lighting design practice, first walked through the finished entrance, she had a “wow” moment. “It has a lot of presence,” she says. “You know you’re walking into a special place.”
"When you see it from the street it makes the whole corner glow."
Ryan Berman, Senior Designer, The Switzer Group
Another standout space is the 15-foot-high resource center on the second floor, which overlooks the entrance. To further enhance the sense of energy and active collaboration in the center, the lighting team specified cove lights at different levels.
Ryan’s favorite lighting feature is a centerpiece of the lounge space on the ground floor. For this area MaryAnn and Anton Lama, Syska’s project manager, custom-designed a grid fixture that creates a sculptural light centerpiece in the cellar. “When you see it from the street it makes the whole corner glow,” Ryan says. MaryAnn finds that it draws attention from pedestrians: “It’s almost like it reaches out and pulls you in.”
Lighting also beautifies and enhances the terraces on the 10th and 11th floors. On each terrace Syska worked with the landscape architect to incorporate concealed lighting within the underside of the sculptural benches. The team also incorporated low-level step lighting into the parapet wall, defining the boundaries of the terrace while avoiding competition with the spectacular view of New York City. Lighting was also integrated within the planters to highlight the trees and landscape features.
Ryan loves the effects. “MaryAnn and Anton did outstanding work in integrating the lighting into the landscape design by Ken Smith Workshop,” he states. “The terraces now resemble exterior gardens with topography. They’re remarkable spaces.” He particularly likes the fixtures on the terrace on the 11th floor, observing that “when you see them at night, it’s like seeing a cluster of stars, and it reflects off the glass.”
“The terraces now resemble exterior gardens with topography. They’re remarkable spaces.”
Ryan Berman, Senior Designer, The Switzer Group
Energy Efficiency
Throughout the design process, the team focused not only on aesthetics, but also on energy efficiency and environmental comfort – two important objectives established by DC37. Here again, lighting played a key role. The lighting team specified dimmable light fixtures with low energy consumption, which are controlled via dimmable wall stations. This approach provides flexibility of creating various lighting scenes throughout each space for the occupants.
To maximize daylight harvesting, light fixtures close to the perimeter window operate through separate dimming zones, which adjust automatically to levels of daylight that reach the interior of the space. Syska also supported DC37’s initiative to encourage people to use the stairs by enhancing the lighting in the interconnecting fire stairs. According to MaryAnn, vertical illumination is provided throughout DC37’s space to enhance the finishes and foster a welcoming and comfortable environment. She adds that this approach is a critical component of WELL certification.
"A wonderful creative journey.”
MaryAnn Hay, Senior Principal, Syska Hennessy
Results
The response from the employees and members of DC37 has been overwhelmingly positive. Anton remembers coming to the building for a punch list and encountering a receptionist in the lobby, who said how much everyone loves the lighting. Ryan learned that when members and employees first walked through the finished building, they had very emotional reactions. One said that the space reflects the type of place that DC37 deserves and that it represents the union, and that it feels elevated rather than institutional. It was clear that DC37 employees would be happy to return to the office, which was so different from its former incarnation.
Project team members are equally pleased with the outcome. For Anton, it exemplifies the successful collaboration between architecture and lighting. For MaryAnn, it represents the end of a “wonderful creative journey.” And for Ryan, it demonstrates the strength of design integration when two different disciplines problem-solve together. That’s a union to celebrate.
© Images courtesy of Colin Miller