550 Madison Construction

Axonometric view of 550 Madison Garden, looking north © Snøhetta

Renovation of NYC’s postmodern landmark building, 550 Madison, includes a construction overhaul of 21,000-square-feet of indoor-outdoor space. Originally built in 1984, the revamp of the 37 story commercial office skyscraper targets both LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certification.

Exterior Annex Steel Canopy

Outside, a steel framed canopy roof slopes downward from the exterior of 550 Madison’s west side. Designed by Snøhetta, the contemporary structure connects to a multistory separation wall that flanks a reimagined atrium green space annex. The innovative public space was created to add an area for lush ground-level landscaping, expanded seating and tables, as well as public restrooms.

Construction Engineering Temporary Shoring

Temporary Shoring Drawing

Separation Wall. McLaren’s construction engineering team worked with Orange County Ironworks, LLC on the connection design and means and methods for the temporary shoring of the newly erected separation wall. Our team utilized hollow structural section (HSS) braces to span from an existing slab on metal deck and a new 12” thick concrete slab up to the left side of the separation wall.

Temporary Shoring

On the right side, due to limited accessibility along the structure base, a temporary braced frame system was added to span over architectural features and tie into adjacent new structural concrete walls. Comprised of wide flange beams and columns, the bracing system was designed to withstand wind and other load imposed on the unconnected wall during construction and was required to support the structure until the permanent canopy roof was installed.

550 Madison Lobby Art

Art Installation

Inside 550 Madison, our CE team worked with A & J Cianciulli on crane plans and rigging to support the installation of Alicja Kwade’s art piece, Solid Sky, in the building’s updated lobby. The massive, 24-ton marble sphere of blue Azul do Macaubas is suspended 49 feet from an interior cathedral ceiling, and dangles on 10 stainless steel chains.

Point Cloud Scan Survey

To ensure smooth placement and connection of the weighty ball, our surveying team provided 3D laser scanning services on multiple visits throughout different stages of the project to create a point cloud view of the geometric relationship between the connection lugs and surrounding walls and floor. The team utilized the Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon RTC360 scanner combined with 360° HDR photography.

Point Cloud Survey Mixing Photos with Scan Points