For 2020, the winner is… The Visitor Experience and Restaurant at Hudson Yards’ Edge, located in New York City.
Edge – is the capstone of the Hudson Yards experience and comprises a dynamic visitor experience including retail, lounge, dining, museum and event space, and an innovative and high-tech display showcasing the evolution of New York City. This project takes visitors on an experiential journey from the queuing area on the 4th floor to the sky deck at the 100th Floor. Once on the 100th floor, visitors have 360-degree vantages spanning 80 miles as soon as one steps off the elevators. From there, a guest can venture onto the deck and dare to walk on the glass floor or climb the glass staircase to the restaurant, bar, and event space.
This high-profile project with its definitive date for opening to visitors, required meticulous scheduling, communication, and coordination. The success of the project was in large part the result of close collaboration and partnership with the inventive design team which included: the Rockwell Group, Anthony Mrkic Architect, and JBB, and in order to meet the inspiring vision of the consistent ally and client, Related. From the outset, the entire project and design team embraced Related’s goals, understanding the quality, precision, excellence, and partnership that were needed to deliver the new venue.
To meet Edge’s project timeline, the team utilized IDC for document review and VDC for coordination studies. A complete overhead study was conducted incorporating architectural finishes. To enable schedule and quality assurance, the team routinely visited contractor’s shops and manufacturer’s facilities. Additionally, the team worked closely the project partners and with the contractors to develop delivery schedules of the finishes that aligned with the overall project schedule. They committed to transparency and communication, resolving problems as they arose in the field with the design team to prevent delays and keep the contractors moving forward.
The project entailed an unprecedented level of finishes and technology elements including LED screen displays which help make an unforgettable the visitor experience. The one-of-a-kind finishes and unique features were a challenge to manage from procurement through fabrication and installation. This team stretched their building skills to work with content providers and artisans to deliver elaborate spaces, utilizing innovative and solutions-driven approaches to deliver the highly customized and intricate details.
The Edge project was a true team effort on a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime project and is an example of many Gilbane’s core values at work, including toughmindedness, teamwork, dedication to excellence, discipline, and entrepreneurship. In addition to earning high marks for building excellence and delivering high-end finishes, this year’s award-winning project finished on time and on budget, achieved a LEED Silver rating – and created a new world-class visitor destination in the heart of New York’s Hudson Yards.
“The Edge Observation Deck and Peak Restaurant is a one-of-a-kind, high-end project that required an extremely talented team to ensure that the project was completed on-time and up to Related’s level of expectation. The Gilbane team delivered on their promise of providing that team. Their tirelessly effort provided a cohesive unit that understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to perform at an extremely high level. This cohesive unit regularly coordinated with Related representatives, design consultants and venue operations team to seamlessly achieve the goals and visions of the project. Each team member should be proud of what they completed in a very short period of time.”
-Russell Robinson, Project Manager, Related Companies
