Case Study: Samuel A. Ramirez Building, New York, NY

Concrete Facts

• 131 Pieces of Precast,12,300 SF Total
• Mixed Commercial/Residential Structure
• 9-Stories

Products Used

Staying in Character

When you walk the neighborhood of trendy, historic Tribeca on Manhattan's lower west side you'll notice The Samuel A. Ramirez Building atthe corner of Greenwich and Hubert Streets does not stand out as a precast concrete structure, or even as recent construction. In fact, project architect, Morris Adjmi of MA Architects, went to great lengths to blend the structure with Tribeca's past, using design motifs from historic warehouses in the area. Adjmi not only planned an architecturally compatible building, but also won the approval and praise of the area's Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has strict regulations on building height and design. The historic design of the building prompted the commission to say it “would enhance the special architectural character” of the district. The commission also applauded the effort as good for Tribeca, showing that landmarking and economic development can exist in harmony with one another.

Combining the area’s commercial/industrial past and its residential present wasn’t easy. It took careful planning along with the help of thirteen different precast window radii to match the 9-story structure's surrounding architecture. Precast panels in rich brick red, designed with protruding fins reminiscent of turn-of-the-century warehouse architecture, provides a historic flavor, while the top floor features a row of smaller radius windows on fluted precast panels capped with a wide cornice, designed to be aesthetically compatible with the top floors on nearby buildings.

Four floors of the multi-million dollar precast structure are home to the corporate headquarters of Samuel A. Ramirez and Company, Inc., the 10th largest municipal bond underwriter in the United States, while the others are a mix of upscale residential and commercial space.

According to John Longardo of Basile Builders Group, “Precast allowed us to comply with regulations on historic architectural character and work efficiently in the tight constraints of the location. It provided us with an aesthetically pleasing and relatively fast way to complete the project.”

Because of the location and Manhattan's premium on space, precast panels where trucked in as needed so there was no need to store materials on site as opposed to traditional masonry construction. This allowed Basile Builders Group to work more efficiently, to erect the building more quickly — and to sell the apartments in record time.

In total, over 130 pieces, or 12,300 sq. ft., of precast came together on this corner of Manhattan to preserve the essence of Tribeca's historic past, while taking its economic development into the future.

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