Re-energizing a New York City building by over-cladding or re-cladding is transformational, aesthetically, and performatively, reasserting its place in the city to command higher rents and lower running costs.
At CANY, that transformative process is something we get excited about. It’s complex, demands cross-discipline expertise and a thorough knowledge of construction, both cutting edge and historical. It also requires intense attention to detail to align and integrate all the systems and processes involved to maximize a building’s potential in the most cost effective, non-intrusive way. Façade re-clads, or over-clads, combine all our in-house experience, enabling us to work with the client from concept to completion.
So how does that work in New York where building stock is an eclectic jumble, jungle even, of the historical and modern, notable, and forgettable? CANY is a highly effective collaboration of architects, engineers, technicians, and specialists and we have worked for almost three decades to restore, preserve and construct facades for many of our city’s most distinctive, and potentially distinctive, buildings.
We understand that every building represents a livelihood, service, or residence and that each one is an investment. And with Local Law 97 now in force to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from all buildings over 25,000 square feet, pressure is on to make those investments work harder.
Addressing a building’s exterior, through façade re-cladding or over-cladding is effective mitigation. It isn’t just about avoiding expensive penalties but reducing ever-increasing maintenance costs and energy bills by making buildings more sustainable, water and airtight. Blending new construction with existing, it can transform a fading, forgettable building into a desirable place to live or work, providing a more stable return on investment in the long term.
At CANY, we use our cross-discipline experience to deploy strategies to ensure architects’ designs work and underlying problems are addressed. Over-cladding and re-cladding are never band-aids when undertaken by CANY, but a way to harmonize the entire building. Often, we work directly with manufacturers to create bespoke systems and always strive to find a route through that keeps the building as operational as possible throughout the process, minimizing disruption and maximizing continuity. Whether that’s adhering low cost but highly effective external insulation to affordable housing projects, completely removing and replacing existing masonry to a busy, city hospital, or re-cladding the 1950s curtainwall of a renowned theatre.
