Nominating company: seele Inc.
Location: New York City, New York
Winning team
- Façade manufacturer and contractor: seele Inc.
- Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merril LLP
- Engineer: Schlaich Bergermann Partner
- Main contractor: Skanska USA Civil Northeast Inc.
- Photo credit: Lucas Blair Simpson Empire State Development I SOM
To transform Manhattan’s historic James A. Farley post office—originally constructed in 1918 to mirror Penn Station—into the modern Moynihan Train Hall station, seele installed five domed skylights consisting of structural steelwork and glass. The new station was built to serve as a concourse to the nearby Pennsylvania Station and thus create more capacity for the growing number of passengers, which currently number more than 650,000 daily.
The converted building benefits from glazing that fills the station with natural light that highlights the historic steelwork. In line with the project’s adaptive reuse objectives, the original structural steelwork of the post office was preserved. The new, cable-braced roof structures connect seamlessly with the historic steel trusses of the former postal building.
“This project is both sensitive to the building’s original function, as well as honoring the lost Penn Station. It provides a grand monumental space with innovative methods. It is an iconic project fitting the great city,” says Glass Magazine Awards judge John R. Stephenson.
Individual elements are mounted on top of the roof’s steelwork and consist of aluminum frames and toughened safety glass units with a dot ceramic frit and a high-performance coating. This project consists of 3,384 insulating glass units with solar coating and frit and 670 tons of structural steelwork.
Each of the aluminum-glass elements is unique. Gutters to drain water from the roof are integrated into the roof structure. The drainage system is fitted with electric heat tracing so that drainage can still be ensured during winter when the gutter system is covered by snow and ice.
“Moynihan Train Hall is a standout example of architectural and artistic vision. Transforming a century-old post office into a vibrant transit hub, the project blends structural glazing, public art and high-performance glass to honor the past while embracing the future,” says Glass Magazine Awards judge Alice Dickerson, founder and managing director, Division 08 Marketing.
