Ellison Bronze provided 16 extruded aluminum narrow stile doors, painted black, for New York City’s innovative cultural space, The Shed. The Shed organization commissions works of art and hosts performances for both budding and well-known artists and entertainers from New York City and beyond.
The Shed, which has become the iconic portion of the larger structure known as The Bloomberg Building, is a cultural and performing arts center located in Hudson Yards, Manhattan, New York City. The building is adjoined to the lower levels of 15 Hudson Yards, a high-end residential skyscraper nested in the southwest corner of the Hudson Yards complex.
The West 30th Street main vestibule entrance of The Shed, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and developed by facade specialist CS Facades, is located under the High Line park and features six pairs of Ellison custom balanced doors that give entrance to the main building lobby space. Ellison also has two additional entries with sidelights that lead to The McCourt and other event spaces within the building’s upper levels.
“The Shed project was years of planning with some of New York’s most prominent developers, cultural representatives, and philanthropic socialites,” says Joe Dai, President of Mackenzie Door Company, the team responsible for installing the doors. “Ellison balanced doors are the only door on the market that could meet the high expectations of this modern architectural marvel.”
The main entrance vestibule slopes at a negative angle inward from the exterior, with the final termination point over the interior Ellison doors. This challenge of the exterior entryways being taller than those of the interior was overcome through meticulous coordination and engineering between CS Facades, Ellison and Mackenzie to ensure proper clearances were achieved.
Another key player on The Shed project team, CS Facades, specializes in the design, supply, and installation of high-end customized curtain wall systems. The company, which is under the umbrella of the Cimolai Group, is based in Italy and operates worldwide, especially in the United States where they delivered the iconic envelope solution for The Shed.
The company provided 56,000 square feet of fixed building cladding for The Shed – an overall system inclusive of cable wall and mullion systems, glazed skylights, a front shop, canopy, windows and doors, and 10,000 additional square feet of lower glazed doors for the movable portion of The McCourt plaza. The Shed’s notable retractable shell is constructed of steel and lightweight ETFE plastic “bubbles” that offer the benefits of traditional insulating glass without the weight. The shell opens and closes on eight metal wheels similar to that of a train—a nod to the Hudson Rail Yards over which The Shed is built.
The aluminum balanced doors are factory glazed with 9/16-inch low-iron laminated glass. Two doors at the main entry are equipped with PowerNow Stanley Magic-Force low-energy concealed overhead power operators which meet the latest ADA standards.
The big and bold Ellison balanced doors are ideal for high-profile projects like The Shed. Not only do they complement impressive architectural designs, but their innovative construction and effortless operation suit high-traffic spaces better than any other commercial entryway. In addition, Ellison balanced doors are completely warranted for 10 years. In the unlikely event of a malfunction, parts are free for the first decade of use.
The Shed officially opened on April 5, 2019. In addition to Ellison Bronze, the project team included door installer Mackenzie Door Company; facade subcontractor CS Facades; lead architect Diller Scofidio + Renfro; and collaborating architect Rockwell Group.
