Eaton Hotels is pioneering an ‘interdisciplinary hotel experience’, providing innovative spaces and ‘provocative’ content, food and programming, in an effort to bring social change to the hospitality industry. GMS served as structural engineer for this new brand to establish their first property in the US at 1201 K Street NW in Washington, D.C.

This property is composed of a nine story tower constructed in 1962 with integrated below-grade parking garage and a five story building constructed in 1942. The design involved reinforcement of the upper levels and removal of an existing rooftop pool to accommodate additional suites at the upper level and a new rooftop bar. The building is also equipped with upgraded infrastructure and a new façade.

Originally a printing press in the 1940’s and then a bus station in the 1960’s, it was more recently a Sheraton Four Points hotel. In addition to the 209 hotel rooms, the 175,000 sf property also houses a radio station, a 50 person theater, a coffee shop, restaurant, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, a co-working space and a wellness center.

Photo credit: Ola Wilk/Wilk Marketing Communications

GMS provided structural engineering services for the core and shell of a new building of approximately 162,000 sf over 10 stories, plus a full cellar. The building includes a new car showroom with service / repair area at street level, a used-car showroom above, and parking garage below. The upper levels and the roof are designed for residential occupancy. The project is adjacent to the subway line running along Northern Boulevard, so approval of the MTA was required to obtain construction permits.

GMS provided building envelope consulting services for this new 19-story hotel, the tallest modular hotel in the world, with a rooftop bar and lounge. Modules were fabricated in Europe and shipped to the US.

The landmarked and much-loved facade at Pastis was preserved and transformed into a 4 1/2- story modern structure. Stories were added and the cellar was excavated to add an additional 60,000 square feet of space for retail and office use.

This new temple and community center incorporates a pool in the sub-cellar, a wellness center, synagogue lobby and café at the ground level, an auditorium, with balcony, classrooms, offices, a double-story high gymnasium, a banquet room and rooftop play area as well as necessary ancillary spaces.  The building is approximately 170 feet tall and encompasses approximately 65,000 gsf.

GMS is providing building envelope consulting (facades and roofs) for the new 58-story luxury residential condominium at 130 William Street. The facade is comprised of precast concrete wall panels with factory-installed windows.

Gap Inc. has opened its largest site in the world, a 70,000-square-foot location that houses side-by-side Gap and Old Navy flagships in Manhattan’s Times Square. It’s estimated that roughly 450,000 people pass through the area each day, or more than 50 million people per year. Built simultaneously, the two stores occupy most of the massive space that formerly housed the Toys “R” Us flagship, a previous GMS project, which closed at the end of 2015.

For structural steel connections, there are three different ways to show the details on the Structural Engineer’s drawings as defined by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual of Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges. This Code provides a “framework for a common understanding of the acceptable standards when contracting for structural steel.” 

GMS is proud to have collaborated on two projects that placed as finalists in this year’s Tall + Urban Innovation awards. 35XV (35 West 15h Street) was recognized in the Best Tall Building category; 56 Leonard Street was recognized in the Best Construction category. The CTBUH Awards recognize projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.

Joe Mugford presented lessons learned from the column transfers designed by GMS for 75 Rockefeller Plaza at the 52^nd annual convention of the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA). The top-to-bottom overhaul of this landmark, built in 1947 includes new double-height glazing and upgraded entry. A reconfigured lobby required the transfer of four existing building columns.