Modular construction fosters innovation in building system design
Seeking to create affordable luxury, citizenM embraced a unique modular construction method for their flagship hotel location in New York City’s Bowery. As a result, a significant portion of the hotel would be constructed off-site, reducing the project’s carbon footprint, producing less waste, and improving efficiency. For this distinctive project, citizenM engaged our team to provide building engineering services.
Working with this method provided us with some unique challenges. Before the guestroom pods arrived from Poland, we needed to create sufficient area above and below the individual pods to house the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. We also designed 15 vertical shafts for ductwork and piping within the building interior.
The pods were installed in an almost Lego-like fashion with the building engineering systems woven around, underneath, and over them to complete connections. We also designed the hotel’s public and amenity systems with equipment located on the lower floors to minimize the weight and load on top of the modular portion of the building.
At the time of occupancy in 2018, citizenM’s 21-story hotel was the tallest modular hotel in the United States, containing 300 rooms as well as a large rooftop bar and terrace, cloudM.
At a Glance
- Offices
- Client
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- citizenM
- Partners
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- Skystone Group
- Polcom Modular
- Architect
- Stephen B. Jacobs Group
Bruce Cohen, Principal, Information & Communication Technology, Buildings
Whether designing for transit stations, or a mixed-use hotel, I’m committed to providing clients with technology-rich environments.
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