The center, funded by a $50 million grant by hospital trustee Ronald O. Perelman, was designed to withstand harsh weather conditions with floodwalls and significant infrastructure improvements.

“Since reopening the hospital, returning critical emergency services to New York City has been our top priority, and we are proud to introduce the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services,” said Robert Grossman, MD, dean and CEO at NYU Langone, in a statement. “This comfortable, state-of-the-art facility gives patients from the community access to advanced adult and pediatric emergency care.”

The new facility features spacious treatment rooms and bedside registration; state-of-the-art imaging facilities for quick testing and diagnosis; efficient intake and discharge processes to make treatment areas available sooner for incoming patients; a New Kids of NYU Pediatric Emergency Care Center to provide a child-focused and family-centered environment; expedited service for non-acute patients; and direct access to NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Stroke Care Center.

The new facility incorporates flood mitigation. When the superstorm hit, generators, monitors and other equipment were destroyed. This forced hospital staff to transfer patients through dark stairwells. Now, vital equipment is placed on higher floors, reducing the risk of serious flooding.

“From day one, we’ve prioritized recovery and rebuilding for the New York City neighborhoods impacted by Sandy,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. “Opening the Perelman Emergency Center is a great accomplishment for NYU Langone, and an even greater resource and comfort for the citizens of New York. I want to thank NYU Langone’s faculty and staff for continuing to provide necessary services to New Yorkers and visitors alike, even after the ED was forced to close.”

The new emergency department is triple the size of the old department. The 22,000-square-foot emergency services department offers 40 emergency care treatment spaces to serve the expected 50,000 annual visitors.

“NYU Langone is a critical pillar of New York’s hospital system that must be running on all cylinders for a healthy New York,” said New York Senator Charles Schumer in a statement. “From day one of the Hurricane Sandy disaster I worked with the hospital and FEMA to get the support needed for NYU Langone to come back better and stronger than ever — and today we have done just that. We are thrilled to restore important emergency care services to the people of New York City.”

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The innovative BelovED Community Charter School takes its name from a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” This philosophy resonated with Hollister Chief Executive Officer Christopher A. Johnson, who sees great value in charter school construction and expansion. “Hollister is a strong supporter of the charter school movement, so it is especially gratifying to be involved in a significant project that addresses the needs of underserved children,” Johnson said. “Our extensive experience as construction managers for educational projects allowed us to value engineer components and construction methods used in the new addition, ultimately providing enough savings to allow the school to refine their design and add an additional full floor.”

The school is located in a 12-year-old building that formerly housed Schomburg Charter School, and is also in an area that was directly affected by 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. As a result, Hollister President Kieran Flannigan said the company altered pre-existing plans to better prepare the structure for future severe weather.

The first floor of the new addition was elevated, creating a roughly 5-foot crawlspace below enclosed with perforated metal panels. According to Sander, these unique panels are designed to break away under a substantial amount of water pressure. They also allow water to recede from the building, reducing potential damage, while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the design.

This weather-ready addition will also help the school transition from a K-3 to a K-12 institution. The school plans to incorporate one new grade level per year, and will eventually comprise an elementary, middle and high school on or nearby the school’s existing campus. The expansion will allow students to remain within the BelovED educational system from kindergarten through matriculation, and administrators are also actively working to open a Greenville campus in the near future.

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School district officials determined in 2009 that significant renovations to the school’s facilities were needed in order to continue to deliver a superior learning environment for its students. Specifically, the East Hampton Learning Community looked to update its high school. This would include a renovation and expansion of the high school from the ground up.

The Challenge
At the beginning stages of the project, a few requirements were immediately identified. All renovations would have to adhere to a strict budget and would need to be completed within the allocated timeline — construction needed to be completed no later than 2011. School officials also faced perhaps a greater challenge: how best to renovate a building that not only needed to meet strict commercial building standards but also withstand the harsh environmental conditions it faced due to its geography. East Hampton High School’s location proved to be an important variable during the decision making process. None of the parties could predict Superstorm Sandy or the devastation that it would cause, but judging from past storms officials agreed that products and materials with proven track records of durability were essential.

Of the utmost importance was protection. East Hampton High School’s façade needed to be impact resistant to protect the students and faculty as well as the structural integrity of the building. Strong ocean wind, particularly during storms, proved to be a real threat as airborne projectiles could be seriously damaging.

Focused on a Solution
East Hampton Learning Community enlisted the help and expertise of Matt Antonucci of Beatty, Harvey and Coco Architect and contractor Edward Simonetti of Action Store Fronts.
After beginning its search for building solutions, project managers for East Hampton High School landed upon YKK AP. The company was able to provide a cost-effective solution to East Hampton High School’s challenge.

“Going with YKK was an easy choice for us,” Antonucci said. “They offer years of trusted experience in the industry, but more importantly they were able to offer us a creditable product we needed and at the right price. Being able to find all the products under one roof substantially reduced the bottom line of the project.”

YKK AP’s fenestrations systems’ ability to protect buildings and their occupants from the strongest of storms and hurricanes proved to be the deciding factor. ProTek product family meets International Building Codes and Federal Standards for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the General Services Administration (GSA). Additionally, the product line also meets the requirements of Miami Dade County (NOA) and Florida product approval and is engineered and tested in accordance with ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996 as well as the South Florida “High Velocity Hurricane Zone” test requirements. Looking to put the safety of its student and faculty first, these were viewed as extremely attractive qualities by the architect and contractor.

The project architect and contractor ultimately decided on YKK’s YOW 225TUH Impact Windows System, the YHS 50 TU Storefront System, the Model 35H Entrance Door, and the YHC 300 OG Curtain Wall, products known for their ability to protect against high winds and projectiles.

Seeing Results
YKK AP’s ProTek products were selected, installed and completed within the allotted timeframe. Its products proved to be a viable solution for a school building that not only needed an aesthetic overhaul but also real, dependable protection from harsh environmental elements, including driving rains, high winds and projectiles frequently launched into flight from such forces.

In October 2012, East Hampton High School’s renovation was put to the test. Superstorm Sandy rolled through the region, leaving massive damage and destruction in its wake. Powerful, sustained wind gusts of up to 110 miles per hour and a 13-foot storm surge wreaked havoc on New York commercial structures. East Hampton High School, however, withstood the challenge and successfully weathered the storm — providing the ultimate validation in the selection of YKK AP’s ProTek product line. In an area that saw tens of millions of dollars in damages because of flooding and lack of structural integrity, East Hampton High School remained open to serve as a Red Cross shelter, providing security for 200 residents.

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