Set to become a hub for artistic expression in lower Manhattan, the 129,000-sq-ft building houses three theaters separated by moveable acoustic walls, allowing up to 11 different configurations. While located above a major transit hub, the performance spaces are vibration-free thanks to 12-in.-thick rubber pads and seismic isolators. A 2-in. airspace further separates the theaters from each other and from the surrounding building shell.

The facility’s four seating towers provide three levels of seating that extend through the fixed portions of the theaters. The towers were designed based on performance criteria that include aesthetics; vibration and acoustics; loading limitations of the floor; and portable elements. Weighing 23,000 lb each, the towers are easily relocated using a compressed air system. Just four people are needed to push the towers to any location in the space, maximizing versatility for both seating and stage arrangements

Other features include a translucent facade with thin, book-matched marble stone laminated within insulated glass, performance support areas and a new full-service restaurant and outdoor terrace bar.

The structure’s design and construction effort required an unprecedented degree of coordination, says the project team, particularly with integrating building system infrastructure systems that overlapped above- and below-ground spaces being built by separate construction teams.