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City Feet |
NEW YORK – Leading New York City-based general contracting and construction management company Aragon Construction recently completed renovations for Brennan Beer Gorman Architects / Brennan Beer Gorman Monk Interiors’ (BBG-BBGM) new New York City office in the Empire State Building. Aragon worked closely with the internationally renowned architecture and interior design firms to completely demo and build out the entire 25th floor. The companies, which inked a 15-year lease for the 32,000 square foot space, have now relocated from 515 Madison Avenue, where they had been since the firm’s inception in 1984.
BBG-BBGM is pursuing LEED Silver Certification in the Commercial Interiors category (LEED-CI), and hope to be the first tenant to achieve this rating at the Empire State Building. Aragon helped the firms attain their “green” goal: Bathrooms feature low-flow and motion-sensor appliances while EnergyStar equipment is individually sub metered allowing the firm to monitor and optimize the office’s performance. Energy-efficient lighting systems were installed such as T5 high output fluorescent lamps with LEDs; as a result, energy consumption will be kept at 15 percent below ASHRAE standards. Other eco-friendly features include low-VOC paints and adhesives and recycled-content materials such as certified wood floors, Interface carpet tiles & Ecophon fiberglass ceiling tiles and wall coverings.
“As architecture and interior design firms with distinct cultures and design philosophies, we are pleased to provide our staff with custom designed sustainable office environments with unique space lay outs according to each firm’s inter-workings, culture and values,” said Bruno Grinwis, BBG-BBGM’s Partner in charge of Commercial Interiors.
Aragon was committed to ensuring that the various styles and designs of BBG-BBGM could be represented in the shared office space. “BBG-BBGM operates as both an architectural and interior design company, and both branches of the company necessitated different designs,” said Alex Getelman, President and Founder of Aragon Construction. “The offices had to accommodate the culture and needs of each industry, with the architects demanding certain features in their work space and the interior designers asking for different finishes in their areas.”
The final design includes a partially exposed ceiling that had to be meticulously restored to its original appearance, at least 30 different light fixtures that were positioned throughout the space and a considerable amount of glass, reflective surfaces and white tones that function to capture as much natural light as possible. An open-office environment, featuring group workspaces and an Ahrend benching system, was created to set a collaborative tone throughout the area.
The biggest challenge Aragon faced, and ultimately hurdled, involved the firm’s new HVAC system, requiring the installation of two chillers on the building’s southwest setback roof -- a task never before endeavored at the Empire State Building. “They were 9,500 pounds a piece,” recalls Getelman, “and we had to swing them over the setbacks – we had the get the largest crane available on wheels in Manhattan on a Saturday.” The result allows the offices to utilize a 24/7 cooling system that operates independently of the Empire State Building, which Getelman notes, translates to a significant savings for BBG-BBGM over the course of their lease.
About Aragon Construction:
Founded in 2000, Aragon Construction is a leading New York City-based general contracting and construction management firm specializing in interior construction fit-outs for both the public and private sectors. The company has an extensive client roster, including Bank of America (retail and prime brokerage), Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., Goldman Sachs, Dentsu America, Robert Half, SWIG Equities, Rudin Management, LaBranche and Co, Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, SL Green, Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. Aragon’s niche work includes corporate build-outs, boutique retail spaces and showroom spaces
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