Mixed-Use Apartment Building

Adaptive Reuse

The Lefrak Organization selected H2M to repurpose an antiquated 13-story office building from the 1960s into a modern luxury apartment building.

Throughout the project, H2M had to overcome a series of challenges due to the building’s original zoning. The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) rejected the initial zoning premise upon plan review. However, H2M and the Lefrak Organization challenged the DOB’s position with the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, and, thanks to a clever reading of the zoning, the building’s conversion at its existing height was ultimately approved.

Another challenge H2M’s team overcame in the adaptive reuse of the building was the wedge-shaped deep building footprint which was not conducive to residential design and limited the arrangement of interior design elements. To overcome this, H2M’s team designed a series of radiating walls from a single vanishing point, making for an efficient and visually-unique layout.

In addition to its unique design, the building also featured a 56,000 square-foot signature arched façade with a white, clear, and spandrel glass curtain wall.