Page 5 - Javits Tour Booklet

Architectural design quality; In addressing the architectural and interior design quality proposed for the Javits
Expansion, Lendlease Turner acknowledges the existing Javits’ significant spaces, volumes, character, modules
and finishes. The new atrium responds to the adjacent skyline, street corridor views and the existing Crystal
Palace while maintaining an appropriate modular and material connection with the existing facility. The interior
design maintains the standards, materials and colors established in the renovation of the existing facility so that
the entire facility provides a seamless guest experience.

ARCHITECTURAL PRECEDENT
The existing building, newly refreshed from the recent 2014 renovation, re-establishes and confirms the
appropriate material palate for the facility. Simple cubic shapes of transparent glass and patterned stainless
steel façades define the architecture originally designed by James Ingo Freed of Pei Cobb Freed. Freed and his
contemporaries, including Pei, Richard Meier and others, rigorously explored the use of standard material
module sizes, mathematical geometry (the golden mean) and simple shapes to dimensionally control
proportion, layout and patterning. The proposed design relates directly to this historical context.

URBAN DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES
The architectural design of the expansion includes design innovations that orient the building to capture ‘New
York moments’ in three unique ways:

• The main façade of the new atrium is consciously oriented to the south, directing views back towards
the drop-off plaza and creating a dialogue with the existing Crystal Palace. This geometry strengthens
the visibility of the building from 11th Avenue and honors the form of the Lincoln Tunnel vent structure.
The massing of the façade highlights the geometry of the square, celebrating the symbolic spaces of the
original Javits Crystal Palace. Stretching south out of the atrium at the meeting room level gives visitors a
more intimate moment to capture a view centered on 39th Street.
• The linear meeting and ballroom pre-function space façade is clean, minimal and open. The glazing
modules are specifically designed to minimize framing elements that obstruct eye-level sight-lines and
provide panoramic skyline views beyond the existing Javits roof. This clear façade will also provide an
elegant and flexible backdrop for a variety of activities.
• To surprise and delight, a special meeting space is cantilevered from the pre-function areas and provides
a unique vantage point to view the skyline and Hudson River at both the meeting room and ballroom
levels. The space adds a visible destination for guests walking along the pre-function space.

HUDSON YARDS & HIGH LINE ENGAGEMENT
As the High Line and Hudson Yards development progresses, the surrounding neighborhood will intensify and
the significance of Javits will be further enhanced. The structure and architectural form of these new
development and the extensive glass, precast and metal materials of Javits align to the rail and industrial
heritage of the area. The growing neighborhood, its enhanced energy and scale, provides the Javits Expansion
further opportunity for a public space to be celebrated and shared with the community.