Van Vorst – Jersey City Mixed Use

McLaren provided structural engineering design, special inspections, and construction support for the project for two of Jersey City, New Jersey’s finest luxury units, Quinn and Lenox. The mixed-use residential buildings stand adjacent on the waterfront of downtown’s Paulus Hook neighborhood at 197 and 207 Van Vorst and are within walking distance of the NJ Transit Light Rail and PATH stations. Combined, the 16 story high-rises contain 408 residential units, 252 parking spaces, and a generous amount of retail space spanning 14,542 square feet.

Lenox, 207 Van Vorst, integrates two distinct structure types, an innovative light gauge steel framing in an 11-story structure carried by a concrete transfer slab atop the 5-story concrete podium. This was engineered to support 254,000 square feet of residential space (255 rental units), 7,400 square feet of retail, and 9,700 square feet of amenity space, including a rooftop pool. This luxury building is supported by steel pipe bearing piles and offers five floors of automated parking, maximizing space, and convenience for tenants. McLaren also provided special inspections for concrete construction.

Quinn, 197 Van Vorst, is a 16-story building containing 153 dwelling units, comprising of 181,000 square feet. The building also has amenity space which includes a rooftop pool and fitness center. Unlike Phase 1, the entirety of the building structure is flat rate concrete. Using concrete for this project allowed the architect to change the alignment of the columns from floor to floor, and also provided relatively thin slabs between the floors.

Project solutions included:

• Integration of two different structural systems to provide an efficient
  16-story structure.
• 11-Story tall LGMF structure design supported on a 3-foot thick
  concrete transfer slab.
• Design of a concrete structure with split levels to accommodate the
  double story height of the automated parking system.
• Design of a pile-supported streetscape with three elevations between
  the buildings.
• Design of cantilever transfer girders to allow the building to step out of
  foundation footprint at the upper levels.
• Design streetscape on a pile-supported structure.