Firm Capabilities Brochure

SBLM Architects
Selected Projects:
01 Mixed-use & Residential
02 Education
03 Retail & Commercial
04 Healthcare & Wellness
05 Civic
About SBLM
About SBLM
Our Process
SBLM Architects is a nationally recognized
firm dedicated to realizing its clients’ goals
through results oriented architecture. The
New York City headquarters and branch
offices in Long Island, Miami, Florida, Dallas,
Texas, and Dublin, IRE offer a wide range of
services through five Design Studios:
Successful design occurs when a client’s
needs for an efficient, functional, and
affordable project are realized. At SBLM,
we understand that design solutions must
evolve from a thorough understanding
of client goals, project parameters, site
characteristics, construction methods, as
well as a realistic approach to scheduling
and budgets. We keep all projects on
track by maintaining control of the process
throughout each project’s entirety.
Mixed-use & Residential
Education
Retail & Commercial
Healthcare & Wellness
Civic
With over forty years of experience, a highlytrained staff, and a thorough understanding
of the most recent design and construction
technologies, SBLM Architects is a
consistent, steadfast resource for new
and long-standing clients.
We take a hands-on approach to
management in order to ensure that
each project stays on target and remains
consistent with the client’s program goals,
program criteria, budget parameters, and
pre-determined schedules. Our clients are
our primary focus, and we strive to remain
reliable partners with each of our clients in
achieving their project objectives.
Architectural & Interior Firm Services
SBLM provides the following services for
public, private, and government clients:
xx Test-fit studies
xx Feasibility studies and facility assessments
xx Facility planning and program analysis
xx Design services
xx Life-cycle cost analysis
xx Zoning and building code review
xx Construction Documentation - Revit/BIM
xx Bid coordination and review
xx Construction Administration
xx Sustainable design consulting, including
LEED Administration
Other Services
xx Environmental Graphic Design Studio
xx Architectural Photography Studio
xx Agency Regulatory Permit Processing
SBLM Architect
The Olivia
SBLM designed the Olivia, a mixed-use, 35 story tower on West 34th Street in New
York City that includes spaces for entertainment, retail stores and residential units.
The 100,000-square-feet Loews flagship theatre, located on the first five floors, features
14 state-of-the-art screens with stadium seating for 3,500 moviegoers and was one
of the first megaplexes in the country. Multiple indoor box offices allow for easy ticket
purchases, and the multi-floor concessions with facilities for light cooking provide
customers with a wide array of snacks and beverages. The brilliantly lit semi-circular
marquee and high interior ceilings echo the traditions and grandeur of Hollywood.
Located above the theatre complex are 85,000 square feet of retail and office space
that sit below 333 residential units. The units - studios, one bedroom, and twobedroom apartments - are framed with six-foot high window enclosures that grant
impressive views of Manhattan or the Hudson River, and in many cases both. The
construction costs for the project total over $250 million.
Selected Proje
03 Retail & Comme
ts
ects:
ercial
Mixed-use & Residential | 7
Eventi Hotel/ Beatrice Residences
SBLM was the coordinating architect for the developer of this 34-story
high-rise building in Manhattan’s Flatiron district. The complex, mixeduse program includes extensive, high-powered vertical circulation,
three levels of below grade parking, multiple new gourmet restaurants
throughout and retail boutiques at street level. The core of the project
is 300 contemporary residences, and over 250 luxury hotel rooms. The
combination of condominiums and short term accommodations is unique
in the city and residences of both facilities all enjoy the numerous high end
amenities offered, including two pools, a rooftop lounge, screening room,
an in-house spa and numerous meeting spaces. The building landscaping
includes a public, inviting, block-through plaza featuring an art-glass wall
and fully configurable JumboTron screen. The full project occupies roughly
500,000-square-feet, and was constructed at a cost of $600 million.
SBLM audited and coordinated the permitted construction documents for
the entire project, successfully navigating the complex issues that arose
from the integration of disparate program elements and trades.
Canco Lofts
SBLM’s adaptive re-use of the landmarked American Can Company
building is a high-profile example of recent redevelopment efforts
underway in Jersey City, New Jersey. The renovation of this seven-story
warehouse into luxury condominiums totaled 400,000-square-feet, and
includes 10,000-square-feet of amenity space on the ground floor.
Important characteristics of the building were retained in the conversion,
with the retention of the building’s Art Deco facade, saw-toothed roof,
grand-scaled windows, and soaring ceiling heights. SBLM’s unique
design vision included the insertion of a mezzanine below the skylights
on top-floor units, creating dramatic duplex apartments.
SBLM replaced almost 2,000 windows, in addition to rehabilitating
the facade, repairing deteriorated masonry, and installing new roofing
elements. SBLM installed new skylights to allow maximum passive
lighting for energy efficiency and to create a bright, modern ambience.
Many of the building’s 200 condominiums boast stunning views of the
Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
Mixed-use & Residential | 19
Luxury Residential Amenities
SBLM has provided upgrades to several distinctive luxury New York rental properties
for a private Manhattan apartment owner. SBLM is working on design projects for six
properties located throughout the city’s most desirable neighborhoods on the Upper
West Side and Upper East Side. Each space reflects the distinct spirit of the respective
building, while simultaneously upholding the prestigious standards of the properties as a
whole. Public amenity spaces include lobbies, rooftop terraces, lounges, fitness rooms,
laundry facility rooms, and bike storage facilities. For a compelling lobby design, an eyecatching sculptural light fixture creates a contemporary and welcoming environment.
A previously unused rooftop will be transformed into an attractive casual dining and
lounging area with garden plantings and seating to take in the views and fresh air.
Lounges and multi-purpose rooms are designed with flexible furniture so they can host
multiple different style events. Modern, spacious, light-filled areas enhance the residents’
experience and add significant appeal to entice prospective new tenants. SBLM has
completed the design phase of these projects. The expected construction completion
date for the first phase of projects will be in mid-2013.
Mixed-use & Residential | 23
Elmhurst Educational Campus
As a prime example of adaptive reuse, SBLM converted an abandoned, 200,000-square-foot former Durkee Spice
manufacturing warehouse into four high schools serving over 1,600 students, including a District 75 (special needs)
school. This was a very challenging project since the structure of the building was cast in place concrete with dropped
panel columns on 20 foot centers. SBLM revised the standard New York City School Construction Authority (NYCSCA)
classroom module in order to meet building parameters. The new module allowed the team to incorporate flexible
breakout spaces into the plan and use accented color and materials selections to establish separate identities for each
high school. Interior renovations included fully modernized elevators.
Additionally, the building envelope required superior acoustical performance to deflect the ambient noise generated by
the transit and air traffic from nearby LaGuardia airport. This was achieved through the use of a triple-insulated glazing
window system. In order to remain sympathetic to the window patterns of the existing building, which was under the
purview of the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the pattern of muntins mirrored the proportions of the
original steel windows. The concrete frame, with its existing reinforced concrete columns and two-way reinforced concrete
slabs, was kept intact and refinished with a new coating and sealing system. This provided a beautifully-finished, crisp,
and clean edifice consistent on four sides and evocative of an industrial building of the era in which it was constructed.
SBLM worked closely with the NYCSCA to reduce the project schedule to relieve severe overcrowding in the school
system. The project team completed the design phase, including fully coordinated construction documents, in six months.
Construction was completed in 16 months. The campus is now a state-of-the-art learning environment.
Education | 27
PS 133K
Brooklyn, NY To serve the expanding student population in the surrounding districts, SBLM was commissioned to design a new school
facility to house two district primary schools within one footprint accommodating 950 students. The new 116,000-squarefoot building is located on the perimeter of the existing parcel of land, originally allocated for a playground and
community garden.
An architectural icon in the surrounding community, the original school was designed in the early 1900s in the Flemish
Renaissance style. Working closely with the NYCSCA and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), SBLM identified
building elements to be salvaged and integrated into the design of the new facility. Additionally, SBLM’s design for the new
PS 133K pays homage to the original structure by incorporating exterior elements that recall the Flemish Renaissance
style, including steeply gabled parapet roofs and ornamental brickwork which were used as inspiration for the new school.
The design of the new facility responds to the surrounding low-rise residential neighborhood by locating the greatest
density of development along the site’s commercial street, and relocating the community garden as a buffer between the
residential neighbors and the school’s main play yard. SBLM Architects designed the two separate school district entrance
areas with raised plazas to isolate them from adjacent traffic areas and tower elements to identify entry into each school
district. This building features a full size gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria along with art, music and science rooms and
meets the NYCSCA’s Green School Guidelines. The NYCSCA’s Green School Rating System is based on the USGBC’s
LEED Green Building Rating System, and includes enhancements beyond LEED requirements tailored specifically to
design for education.
Education | 29
Education | 33
Sunny Isles Beach Community School
Located directly off of the Intracoastal Waterway, this ground-up, 210,000-square-foot facility for Kindergarten through
8th Grade students was the first public school to be built in the Sunny Isles Beach community. The designated site
presented a considerable challenge. A school of this size would typically be built on a 7- to 8-acre site, SBLM needed
to design this school on 2.1 acres To accommodate the unique site, SBLM designed a vertical solution, constructing
the school using tilt-up concrete construction. The project received the Tilt-Up Concrete Association Achievement
Award With Excellence in the Education Division.
The striking design features intersecting concrete planes at the entry, a cantilevered exterior staircase, and secondfloor concrete bridges. The bold use of the school’s colors, yellow and blue, complements key exterior architectural
elements against the backdrop of the waterfront. A repeating circle motif throughout the design was inspired by a
ship’s portholes, another homage to the coastal site and its nautical culture.
The new school features a four-story education wing and a two-story administrative wing that also includes a stateof-the-art media center and a cafeteria/auditorium. Adjacent to the school is a three-level, controlled access parking
garage which provides 145 parking spaces for the use of the faculty, staff and visitors to the school.
Through a joint use agreement with the city’s community center, the school parking garage and cafeteria/auditorium
are accessible after school hours for community use. The new facility was completed in 26 months from design
commission to occupancy meeting the $36 million budget for architectural design and construction.
Education | 35
National Organic Retailer
Multiple Locations
SBLM has a long-standing relationship with a national chain of organic food retailer, providing architectural
services that achieve successful environmentally responsible new store projects for over 30 locations in the New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut tri-state area, South Florida and United Kingdom.
One of the challenges for SBLM are to create a consistent program, which embodies the company’s core values,
while addressing the multitude of tasks found in project types running from ground-up, new multistory and mixeduse buildings to urban developments and repurposed existing buildings. Many of these projects have achieved
LEED Gold and Silver Certification. Sustainable initiatives include site planning, adaptive reuse of buildings,
extensive use of reclaimed and recycled materials, green focused selective use of sustainable low impact
materials and furnishings, daylight harvesting and limited water use.
Many of the food markets are supplemented by multiple eateries, open-air cooking venues, inviting outdoor space
and front and back-of-house cooking facilities. The combinations of these features bring a uniquely challenging
aspect to these projects.
To achieve the highest levels of innovation and quality for each store, SBLM’s core team stays actively involved in
the project from the early stages of lease negotiation, feasibility studies, and programming through the design, CD
and construction administration phases, to the store’s opening.
The Home Depot
SBLM has provided architectural services for numerous Home Depot stores throughout the
New York area. The design for the flagship store located in Jersey City, New Jersey, departs
from Home Depot’s prototypical big box, giving the well-known brand fresh appeal. The
modern design created a dramatic visual icon using Home Depot’s signature orange color
on curved sculptural accents that make up the building’s main facade. The bright and vivid
store creates a beacon to the nearly 50,000 vehicles that drive by each day.
This location presented many design challenges including the store’s proximity to the
Eastbound entrance of the Holland Tunnel, high-volume deliveries from large carriers,
customer vehicle access for loading purchases, and abandoned underground storage tanks
discovered during the site development phase.
In addition to the 105,000-square-feet retail floor plan, SBLM created a system of freight
elevators and escalators to move people and products between the ground floor and
second floor levels and incorporated a radiant heating system for the garage. This store was
awarded First Place for Stores over 100,000-square-feet in Chain Store Age’s Retail Store of
the Year Exterior Design Competition.
Retail & Commercial | 43
24 Hour Fitness
Multiple Locations
SBLM has provided 24 Hour Fitness with architectural and design services for projects
throughout the East Coast.
SBLM Architects designed a new urban prototype for the joint venture between Derek
Jeter and 24 Hour Fitness for the flagship location on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. SBLM
created a fitness beacon for the neighborhood with an inviting street front presence and
open accessible floor plan. The program includes a full-service fitness center with numerous
amenities that incorporates an extensive line of cardio equipment and free weights; a sauna;
group exercise classes; personal training; locker rooms and laundry service. In addition
to the core program, other modern state-of-the-art facilities include NBA sized basketball
courts, swimming pools, children’s rooms, pro shops and cafes/juice bars.
SBLM also provided Environmental Graphics and Branding services to 24 Hour Fitness.
Unique elements integrated into 24 Hour Fitness locations include custom signage, LED
panels, and wall coverings to inspire activity and engage the competitive spirit among gym
users and staff.
Retail & Commercial | 49
Kohl’s New York Design Studio
New York, NY
SBLM provided complete interior design, architecture and engineering services for the
40,000-square-foot office space. The tenant fit-out of three full floors serves as Kohl’s
Department Stores’ New York Design Studio, home to the design team for many of Kohl’s
signature brands for apparel and home goods. Kohl’s demanded a modern office that would
foster the collaboration of ideas among designers, fitters, and merchandisers. The project
integrates the company’s friendly and exciting design aesthetics and core philosophies for
a convenient, friendly environment, as well as supporting their sustainability initiative with a
LEED Gold certification. SBLM’s design achieved efficiencies in water reduction and energy
performance, and employed reused, recycled, and low-emitting materials.
The three floors in the midtown high rise are linked by a dramatic and grand internal connecting
stair that acts as a central hub of activity. The design incorporates a racetrack circulation with
private offices and meeting spaces at the core. To maximize the harvesting of daylight, workspaces are situated at the perimeter. The design also includes a fully-equipped lunch and
lounge area with serving counters, booths, and café tables. Additionally, the studio incorporates
rooftop terraces, adaptable showroom spaces, and flexible space planning to match the client’s
varied needs. Improved views of the Empire State Building are a highlight of the new office.
Burlington Coat Factory
SBLM was selected by Burlington Coat Factory to design an exciting
New York City Buyers’ Office to reflect the strategic rebranding of the
company’s working environment and create an atmosphere of respect
and dignity. The new tenant fit-out for the 16,000-square-foot office in
one of Manhattan’s premier Fashion District buildings. SBLM designed
open work areas, private offices, showrooms, a satellite executive office
suite and board room.
SBLM has recently been commissioned to provide further professional
design services to expand the Buyers’ Office to include the entire
21,000-square-foot floor plate.
Mount Sinai Medical Center
SBLM was retained to provide design development, construction documentation, and
construction administration services for multiple projects for the Mount Sinai Medical
Center. Projects include the reconfiguration and renovation of the following: the Radiation
Oncology Practice Suite; the Article 28 HIV program/Community Medicine Outpatient
Clinic which includes an 8,140-square-foot medical office; portions of the 25th Floor of the
Annenberg Building including a regenerative biology research laboratory, equipment and
freezer rooms, and office renovations; plus various renovations throughout the campus
involving public areas and corridor upgrades. Revisions include new partitions, new doors
and frames, new plumbing fixtures, millwork, lighting, and new finishes. In addition, the
design incorporates minor modifications to the HVAC and emergency power systems.
SBLM is also enhancing the appearance of the entrances and lobby of the Eva & Glenn
Dubin Breast Care Center. SBLM is providing improved exterior signage for the Center,
while maintaining identification for the other functional areas. SBLM is also designing an
interior lobby that will communicate the mission of the Center and reflect their design
aesthetic, while maintaining access to other functional areas of the hospital. Rehabilitation
and improvements to existing entry doors and fixtures will be provided along with a new
ceiling, lighting, and wall finishes.
Healthcare & Wellness | 59
Promesa Youth Treatment Center
Located in the Bronx, the existing five-story Promesa building was in need of exterior
rehabilitation and various interior renovations. The new facility accommodates a wide range
of therapeutic services, from group and individual counseling to spaces for vocational
instruction. The program also features a new dining hall, 20 resident rooms, and extensive
staff areas. Early in the renovation process of this residential youth treatment facility in
Bronx, NY, our client at Promesa Systems, Inc., told SBLM Architects, “Our adolescents
live here for a year addressing substance abuse issues. They need an environment that’s
uplifting and safe, a place where they can heal.” SBLM achieved the client’s goal by
opening up the floor plans, providing light and bright colors, and making the spaces as
flexible as possible. The resulting renovation is a hybrid that meshes a calming aesthetic
with youthful fun. In addition to color coded wayfinding, SBLM designed custom wall
murals and engraved glass inspirational signage to create a welcoming environment where
residents can help each other heal. SBLM created phased selective interior demolition
documents; selected new interior finishes and fixtures; and oversaw extensive upgrades to
mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Healthcare & Wellness | 65
Horizons Counseling & Education Center
SBLM Architects created a new substance abuse treatment facility for the Town of Smithtown,
NY and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Service (OASAS).
Horizons Counseling and Education Center is a non-profit agency which provides adolescent
and adult treatment, prevention, and education services for drug and alcohol-related problems.
Their existing facilities were cramped and scattered. The adaptive reuse of a 7,250-squarefoot former retail building combined the previously separate program facilities into one unified
space. The new Center features therapy and counseling rooms, comfortable administrative work
areas, and a multi-purpose room for use by the general community. A central feature within the
multi-purpose room is a dramatic, custom cathedral ceiling which provides and atmosphere of
inspiration and solace. A central reception area surrounded by the educational and counseling
rooms is at the heart of the building. SBLM used a warm palette of colors and an array of
traditional materials to create a home-like environment that is both welcoming and uplifting. The
new environment conveys respect and dignity to patients, and it supports therapists in their
mission to help patients gain the confidence they need to move ahead with their lives.
In addition to demolition, interior finishes, and exterior upgrades, the project includes new
structural steel, plumbing and fixtures, HVAC, and rewiring.
Healthcare & Wellness | 67
Brooklyn Navy Yard Sands Building
The building’s proposed site at the gateway to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre parcel of
land on the scenic Brooklyn waterfront, figured prominently in the design recommendations
and organization of the internal and external programs. In order to maximize the required three
stories and footprint of 75,000-square-feet within the irregularly shaped site, SBLM used a linear
building typology that hugs the perimeter, allowing the building to play a significant role in the
urban context beyond the Yard. This urban connectivity is at the heart of the client’s brief, and
is in keeping with the sustainable initiatives and goals outlined for the project as it creates a
pedestrian-friendly corridor and eliminates the need for an additional security fence. In essence,
the building serves as the entrance to and emblem of the larger Yard.
Designed to achieve LEED-Silver at minimum, the design proposes several Green features
that speak to the client’s desire for a forward-thinking design on a minimal budget. The design
features white-roof technology, which supplies similar benefits of a green roof without the
associated costs required to structurally support it. In addition, the primary design features of
the building- the extruding circulation corridors with a strong horizontal orientation- function as
light shelves, bouncing daylight deep into the interior. When coupled with the electrical controls,
passive sustainable systems integrated into the building design like these greatly reduce the
need for artificial lighting and significantly save on overall energy costs.
from down to up : Solar analysis,
ventilation study, daylighting study, biowale
Civic | 71
NEW YORK
MIAMI
LONG ISLAND
DALLAS
Joshua Burdick AIA, LEED AP
Principal
545 West 45th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10036
T 212 995 5600
jburdick@sblm.com
Michael LeFande AIA, LEED AP
Principal
33 Walt Whitman Road, Suite 204
Huntington Station, NY 11746
T 631 683 5588
mlefande@sblm.com
Jim Cohen AIA, LEED AP
Principal
11430 North Kendall Drive, Suite 310
Miami, FL 33176
T 305 412 9187
jcohen@sblm.com
Richard Ireland AIA, LEED AP
Principal
16910 Dallas Parkway, Suite 216
Dallas, TX 75248
T 469 554 7770
rireland@sblm.com
New York
545 West 45th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10036
T 212 995 5600
F 212 675 4228
Long Island
33 Walt Whitman Road, Suite 204
Huntington Station, NY 11746
T 631 683 5588
F 631 683 5591
Miami
11430 North Kendall Drive, Suite 310
Miami, FL 33176
T 305 412 9187
F 305 412 6731
Dallas
16910 Dallas Parkway, Suite 216
Dallas, TX 75248
T 469 554 7770
F 469 554 7775
Dublin, IRL
29 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2, Ireland
T 353 1 6612702
F 353 1 6765464
M14003.01.B
sblm.com