Part I: The Concept.
The owners of a spacious 3-bedroom apartment in a 1980’s-era multi-family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side purchased a 2-bedroom unit on the floor above, with the intention of combining the units to create a family room and guest quarters on the upper floor. Although the units overlapped completely, the ideal location for a connecting stair was limited to a zone where small laundry and storage closets were aligned on both floors.
The owners had been referred to me by a previous client of mine, also East Side Manhattanites with a similarly expansive apartment. I brought in a structural engineer, the visionary Nouredine Benabdelhak, who analyzed the proposed slab cut location and determined that it could be accomplished without installing traditional structural steel perimeter reinforcement. Nouredine instead proposed the use of Sika CarboDur technology.
However, for reasons for which I have never entirely forgiven them, the owners hired another architect (who had worked previously in the building, which admittedly is a valid and compelling selling point). This architect brought in an engineer who was more conservative in his/her approach, and perhaps unfamiliar with the Sika product. Whatever the case, the engineer proposed the installation of steel beams around the slab cut, which would have introduced prohibitive head-room issues, in addition to the daunting logistics involved in bringing steel beams of substantial length to the 28th floor of a residential high-rise.
Recalling that I had proposed a less invasive and less costly approach, the owners dismissed their first choice and brought me back in. After some initial discomfort, we re-established a cordial working relationship and I began assembling a team. Design work was to extend throughout the apartment, which was badly in need of updating, but it was the connecting stair and its immediate surroundings that would comprise the focal point of the the renovation. Within its limited confines it had to be daring, eye-catching, inviting, navigable and safe, in that order.
Part II:
Our general contractor was Albert Yangourazov of Alma C.T. Construction. I have worked with Albert on numerous projects going back to at least 2005. He began by precisely delineating the location of the cut, which was dictated by perimeter conditions and column lines. Once the footprint was established, Albert’s crew prepped the ceiling below for the installation of the Sika plates. He also commissioned an x-ray scan of the slab area that was designated for removal. This proved to be good foresight, as the x-ray revealed a line of metal, clearly other than reinforcing bar, running at an angle across the removal zone. This could have been disastrous for our plan but luckily it turned out to be electrical conduit serving a small area of the apartment, which could be re-routed to the perimeter of the removal zone. It was the kind of thing that every architect and contractor must be braced for, the so-called “unknown unknown.”
Slab-cutting by Eastern Cutting Corp., professionals with whom I have also previously worked, commenced on November 26, 2018 and proceeded for three days without incident. Upon completion, we had disposed of the the most significant physical barrier to the execution of the design. There was no evidence of deflection at the new slab cut perimeter; the concrete did not give way; the Sika Carbodur product had proven its value. We were free to move forward.
Part III:
While the work of slab-cutting was in its planning stages, both Albert & I prevailed upon the owners to bring in an interior design firm whose specialties included both lighting & millwork, Taylor & Miller Architects. With the team in place we evicted the owners from their apartment and embarked upon a complete transformation of every room.