9 minute read
The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico: Transforming a Historic Orangerie into a Net-Zero Creative Arts Center
9
THE DAVID ROCKEFELLER CREATIVE ARTS CENTER AT POCANTICO: TRANSFORMING A HISTORIC ORANGERIE INTO A NET-ZERO CREATIVE ARTS CENTER
by Brandon Massey AIA, LEED GA, Senior Associate, FXCollaborative and Jais Kwon, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, Associate, Sustainable Design Specialist, FXCollaborative
Photo Courtesy of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
INTRODUCTION
FXCollaborative Architects recently completed the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the Orangerie at Pocantico Center, the historic Rockefeller estate located in Tarrytown, New York. The project transforms the former Beaux-Arts style greenhouse on a National Trust Historic Site into an exemplary Net-Zero performing visual art center.
The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center will be open to the public and, provides visitors with a glimpse inside the artistic process, offering performances and exhibits; residencies for visual, performing, and literary artists; and other cultural events. Building on the mission of the Pocantico Center, the new center aligns with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s (RBF’s) commitment to a more just and sustainable world.
HISTORY AND TRANSFORMATION
Built in 1908 and designed by architect William Welles Bosworth, the Orangerie was originally conceived as a winter greenhouse capable of sustaining orange trees imported from Europe. The building is modeled after the 17th century Orangerie at the Palace of Versailles in the fashion of other French greenhouses of the time. The monumental scale pavilion is a two-hundred-foot-long symmetrical volume with a twentysix-foot-high ceiling, ten monumental scale arched windows, six skylights, and has doors scaled for the transport of orange trees in carts. Interior steel columns supported the wood roof and masonry structure over a gravel floor without a slab. The
building sat largely dormant since the 1930s and had fallen into disrepair. In 1979, Nelson Rockefeller bequeathed the Orangerie to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2019, RBF announced plans to transform the building into a public arts venue with the goal of expanding their Culpeper summer performance program to be year-round and incorporate the visual arts. FXCollaborative’s transformative sustainable design for the new center was informed by the history and original use of the building, its new role as a home for people and the arts, and RBF’s deep concern for the environment. The design reuses as much of the existing structure as possible, expands in an essential and timeless manner consistent with the building’s ethos, establishes new connections to the landscape beyond, and provides flexibility for a variety of arts programming while being deeply sustainable. LEED v4 BD+C Platinum and LEED Zero – Net Zero Energy certifications are anticipated for the project.
PROGRAM AND MATERIALS
For simultaneous art programs to occupy the space, the long volume of the Orangerie is subdivided into performance and rehearsal, gathering, gallery, and studio spaces, each of which have their own programmatic requirements. Clerestory glazing above partitions allow the continuous wood ceiling plane and
Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress
architectural steel grid to run overhead throughout the different spaces, keeping the sense of the original volume intact. In the center of each partition large, glazed sliding doors provide access and views down the main axis, preserving the character of the space. The new architectural steel grid is supported by the existing steel columns and follows the rhythm of the existing structure, accommodating the different infrastructure and lighting needs in each space in one consistent unifying move. Acoustic treatment above the ceiling provides specific tuning for each space. An essential palette of durable healthy materials provides surfaces appropriate for both the production and viewing of art. Drywall backed with FSC certified plywood lines the gallery and studio for flexible art installations and above acoustic drywall absorbs ambient noise. A sprung wood floor designates performance and rehearsal areas from visual arts spaces, which have a durable concrete topping. Flooring is installed over a new insulated reinforced structural slab, which ties the exterior wall to the interior column grid. Concrete with forty to sixty percent fly ash was used throughout. The team prioritized materials with low embodied carbon disclosures, such as those with optimized Environmental Product Declaration certificates, and healthy ingredients certifications
Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress
like the Healthy Product Declaration, Declare, and Cradle to Cradle and reviewed to ensure they supported occupant comfort and health and material transparency. Materials with low emissions were selected for the health and well-being of occupants. Air quality monitoring took place throughout and after construction. This included Co2 monitoring and air quality testing before occupancy.
ACHIEVING NET ZERO
To achieve the goal of Net-Zero energy, the design team reduced energy loads and optimized energy production. Preserving masonry walls was non-negotiable in order to limit the embodied carbon of the rehabilitation and to comply with landmark requirements of the historic building. The envelope required a full rehabilitation on the exterior and an entirely new interior liner on all six sides to meet energy efficiency goals and programmatic needs. The team used energy modelling to test the effectiveness of various envelope improvements. The largest benefit comes from the addition of insulation and smart vapor retarder on the interior side of the terracotta block wall. The team replicated the existing monumental arched single glazed divided lite windows, which were in disrepair, in FSC certified Sapele Mahogany with simulated divided lites to increase thermal insulation and maintain operability for occupant comfort. After repairing the wood roof structure, the team added mineral wool insulation into the joist cavities on the interior, followed by a smart vapor retarder. At the exterior side, they built up poly-iso insulation board and new roofing. Laylights were added beneath the historic pyramidal skylights for increased performance. The addition of a new minimal vestibule with bird-friendly glazing enhanced thermal control and protected natural species. Together, these envelope enhancements increased the energy efficiency while maintaining the historic character of the façade. The space is equipped with new all-electric MEP systems including high efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems and dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) with energy recovery. The efficient design, achieving more than 50% reduction compared to LEED v4 baseline, helps the project reduce the operational energy, operational carbon, and eventually – greenhouse gas emissions. New mechanical equipment is in an expansion of the existing below grade cellar, preserving the proportions and hierarchy of the exterior and allowing for under slab air delivery that maintains the open and light filled interior volume. The building is powered entirely by an array of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the south side of the building, which generate more power than the building uses.
EXPANSION AND CONNECTION TO THE SITE
The south facade was originally a blank wall shielding the estate from a trainline that ran adjacent to the building. To support the arts program housed in the main volume of the
Orangerie, a smaller new pavilion is positioned closely to the south façade on top of a newly established plinth. Above the pavilion, a one hundred sixty-foot-long trellis stretches across the southern exposure embracing the landscape beyond while shading the outdoor terrace space below. A new forty-footwide proscenium opening with insulated operable pivot doors animates the terrace, allowing for outdoor performances and connection to nature. Circulation from the north entry vestibule is extended through the support pavilion establishing access and views south to the landscape. The expansion is a composition of elements that respect the rhythm and proportion of the Orangerie. No longer a “back,” the expansion makes inspiring connections to the natural setting, putting the sustainable energy and site features on display for artists and visitors alike. The project is rooted in resiliency, and its impact on the existing site has been minimized through various strategies. The PV array is uniquely positioned above a raingarden that captures one hundred percent of run off from the site, managing storm water and facilitating habitat restoration. Supporting the conscious use of water, native plantings that do not require permanent irrigation were used throughout the area and around the PVs. Integrating two sustainable functions into one area saves space while softening the view of the PVs allowing them to be a celebrated part of the landscape, pathways circumnavigate the building and PV landscape for visitors to experience these features.
CONCLUSION
The energy performance of the building will be carefully tracked after construction to verify the design operates as intended – Net Zero energy. Further, the design team will pursue LEED Zero Energy certification to formalize the achievement after a year of operation and data collection. The design illustrates that deep sustainable design is very compatible with adaptive reuse and the energy demands of performing arts programs while maintaining a strong relationship to the exterior landscape. As described by Senior Partner Sylvia Smith, the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center is a “laboratory for creative production and a model for sustainable transformation.” l
Brandon Massey, AIA, LEED GA, is a Senior Associate at FXCollaborative, a New York City-based architecture, interiors, and planning design firm. Working on a diverse range of project types, Brandon collaborates with design teams, consultants, and clients to craft projects from initial ideas to construction. In early project phases, he produces design packages and competition entries instrumental in helping institutions and developers see their projects’ full potential. Brandon holds a B.Arch from Rhode Island School of Design and serves as a mentor to high school students through the ACE Mentor Program.
Jais Kwon, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, is an Associate at FXCollaborative, a New York City-based architecture, interiors, and planning design firm. As a Sustainable Design Specialist, Jais works with design teams to incorporate sustainable design elements and ideas into projects. Understanding the importance of environmentally conscious building, Jais joins the design team early in the design process to achieve a high standard of building performance. Using sophisticated environmental modeling and analysis tools, paired with new and innovative building techniques, she creates optimized design scenarios across scales and typologies. Jais holds a M.S. in Environmental Building Design from University of Pennsylvania and a B.Arch from Chung-Ang University in Korea. She is an active member of the AIANY Committee on the Environment and the Urban Green Council’s Emerging Professionals Committee.
SEPTEMBER ‘22
ARCHITECTURE NEW YORK STATE is a quarterly publication developed by AIA New York State, 50 State Street, Albany, NY 12207
