One Madison Avenue

Historic Manhattan office tower gets new lease on life, and a Schindler VT system is a big part of it.

submitted by Schindler
photos courtesy of Schindler

Rejuvenating ageing structures is helping breathe new life into cities, all while minimizing environmental impact. One Madison Avenue in NYC is a case in point. With well over a century of history under its belt, the building was reconstructed to incorporate a new 27-floor tower within the same footprint, all while retaining more than two thirds of the building’s original structure. To accommodate the growing number of occupants moving throughout the expanded building, we installed a brand-new vertical-transportation (VT) system that includes 25 Schindler 7000s, all orchestrated by our destination-dispatch technology, Schindler PORT.

Project Highlights

NYC is in no short supply of high-rise buildings. The city is synonymous with skyscrapers — so much so that it can be tricky to find a place to build a new one. Schindler One Madison Avenue Senior Project Manager Candace Cooper states:

“I’ve been in construction in NYC for almost 17 years. When I started, if a new skyscraper was being proposed to go up, it meant an old one had to come down. But that’s a trend we’ve seen change in recent years.”

Instead of demolishing buildings, there’s a growing desire to repurpose older structures and existing spaces. One Madison Avenue is a perfect example of this. Set in Manhattan’s desirable Midtown South submarket on the corner of 23rd Street and Madison Avenue, the building has rejuvenation in its foundations. Originally built in 1893, the building has already gone through several rebuilds and renovations over the past 130 years. When its famous clock tower (which is now separately managed) was added in 1909, it was the tallest building in the world.

The new incarnation of the building received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) in September 2023, three months ahead of schedule. Issued by the NYC Department of Buildings, a TCO is a key part of the process, as it certifies that the property is safe to occupy. The tower provides the highest standard for today’s workplace, with 121,000 m2 of premier Class A office space spread over 27 floors that maximize access to natural light, outdoor space and ceiling heights. The building also incorporates retail space, forward-thinking amenities and a stylishly comfortable and refined steakhouse by Michelin-starred French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud. The building also offers easy access to green space and public transportation.

In total, Schindler installed 30 elevators, including 25 Schindler 7000s, to help optimize passenger flow throughout the building. Additionally, we added one Schindler 9300 escalator as part of a special request from one of the new tenants. “One Madison Avenue will irrevocably redefine the workplace experience, raising the benchmark for seamless integration of design innovation, sustainability and unparalleled amenities,” SL Green Realty Corp. Chief Operating Officer Edward Piccinich observes.

Innovative Design

The top three floors of the existing structure were removed, and a new 17-story tower was built on the 10th floor supported by new and reinforced mega columns, as well as a truss system that serves as an architectural feature between the old and new buildings.

By effectively constructing a new building within an old building, the architects were able to reuse 67% of the building’s original structure. This helped save an estimated 20,925 t of CO2 — an overall energy reduction of more than 60% compared to what would be used if the entire building had been demolished. This is equivalent to more than three-and-a-half years of carbon emissions from the estimated operating energy use of the project when fully completed.

To help coordinate the project, Building Information Modeling (BIM) was used throughout the design phase and construction.

“BIM is really transforming how we design, build and manage buildings and infrastructure,” Cooper says. “It provides a clear overview between the different disciplines in the construction industry.”

BIM allows everyone — from architects to engineers to contractors — to view the same working model. The model gets updated in real time, removing potential silos and increasing the levels of accuracy, efficiency and quality of a project.

“BIM always helps with the coordination between teams because everything is laid out before you get there,” Cooper adds. “For One Madison Avenue, it absolutely added to the efficiency of construction.”

Highly Coordinated Construction

Cooper says the pandemic failed to throw the team off-course, stating:

“It’s an understatement to say that it was tough working through the pandemic. We were still working within very tight timelines, but by coordinating our work with our subcontractors and sticking strictly to our weekly task list, we were able to stay on schedule and meet every expected milestone for the project.”

With Schindler’s materials being sourced from different parts of the globe, our team had to walk a logistical tightrope to import the specific items needed for the project. With support from every level of the organization, these challenges were all overcome and the team was able to meet all deadlines.

Another key aspect of the project was the close partnership with developer SL Green and general contractor Tishman Construction. This was the second new-build high-rise project on which Schindler has collaborated with SL Green — NYC’s largest office landlord — after the success of One Vanderbilt (ELEVATOR WORLD, August 2019 – Once in a Lifetime).

Future-Proofing

With an increased amount of floor space comes an increased number of people moving throughout a building. With Schindler’s newly installed VT system, we have the capacity to cater to significantly more passengers a day. To coordinate so much movement, we installed Schindler PORT to optimize the flow of people and reduce wait times to a minimum.

“In NYC, it’s very rare that one of our projects doesn’t have Schindler PORT these days,” says Schindler PORT Product Manager Pritesh Thaker. “It just offers so many benefits.” By allowing the right level of access for each visitor, Schindler PORT helps provide an additional level of security for the building’s tenants. In the lobby, the Schindler team installed custom Schindler PORT terminals fitted with QR scanners and Bluetooth readers, eliminating the need for physical ID cards. To help make this possible, Schindler CoLab was integrated throughout the building. Pritesh elaborates:

“Schindler CoLab is our all-in-one digital services platform that allows the customer to integrate new features into their platform. It works behind the scenes, helping maintain the passenger experience while providing the option for additional applications like facial recognition and customized apps that will be integrated in the future.”

In addition to this, all elevators at One Madison Avenue are connected to Schindler’s local Technical Operations Center (TOC) via Schindler Ahead. Cooper observes that Schindler Ahead is provided as standard for all Schindler 7000 projects in NYC. “It allows all of our connected units to be monitored around the clock, leading to less downtime and happier customers,” she states.

One Madison Avenue’s makeover has delivered a unique addition to the NYC skyline — blending the old with the new, and mid-century masonry work with a modern, sustainable office tower. The innovative redesign helps breathe new life into the 130-year-old structure, serving as a compelling example of what rejuvenation projects can achieve.