28EAST28th is an expansive, mid-century commercial office building located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Schimenti and the project partners were tasked with this major building repositioning scope, including a new floor-through lobby connecting 28th and 27th Streets, and ongoing phased work, including energy-efficient façade expansions, the enlargement of the 1st, 2nd, 13th, and 14th floors, HVAC and electrical system upgrades, and the significant demolition, white boxing, and fit-out of multiple floors for multiple tenants. The result is an elevated, hospitality-centric experience that enhances the mid-century modern lobby space, while updated infrastructure and integrated technology allow for touchless building access, creating a new space that resonates with the current workforce.

Schimenti provided crucial Value Engineering and Design Assist services. Full-size visual and performance mock-ups and testing were conducted on several custom components to create a solid constructability strategy. The team is taking a phased construction approach to ensure occupants’ safe ingress and egress while allowing the team to access critical infrastructure within the space.

The standout feature of the lobby, a serpentine wooden fin wall tying together the 27th and 28th Street entrances, was assembled off-site to reduce costs and then installed panel by panel. The fin wall was extensively tested in virtual and site mock-ups, resulting in a new methodology and design.

A dedicated Site Safety Manager remains on-site full-time for the duration of the project. At the outbreak of COVID- 19, Schimenti instituted stringent policies in line with CDC and New York State guidelines. Despite a turbulent market, two major leases were executed with Whole Foods and Freshly as anchor tenants.