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Weill Cornell, Education Center

Building Relationships!
September 2016
One of the rewards of growing a business is developing long-term relationships.
 
Weill Cornell Medical College, one of the top-ranked medical colleges and research centers in the country, and The Pinetree Group, a New York City property owner, are two of BGA's established clients. Our relationships with these clients date back many years.
 
In this month's newsletter, we are pleased to walk you through the projects created for these organizations and introduce you to Emilio Wong, BGA Project Manager. Since the outset of our relationship with both Weill Cornell Medical College and The Pinetree Group, Emilio has spearheaded many of BGA's projects for these long-standing clients, with multiple and diverse project needs. We believe that this speaks to the quality of Emilio's work and his commitment to BGA's clients.
 
Whether the project involves renovation, infrastructure upgrades, interior design or historic landmark work, BGA remains at the ready with ingenious solutions to suit each client's needs. That's why they keep coming back to us.
 
Enjoy our latest design solutions, and please be sure to visit our new website -www.boddewyngaynorarchitects.com - to learn more about what BGA can do for you!
Sincerely,
Michele Boddewyn,  AIA, LEED, AP
Partner
Alan Gaynor,  AIA
Partner
 
Weill Cornell Medical College - Education Center,
1300 York Avenue, New York, NY
 
WCMC classroom
Located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this world-renowned medical facility is at the cutting-edge of academic medicine and biomedical research, providing the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. 
Over the course of many years, Weill Cornell Medical College has engaged BGA in a number of architectural projects to address their ever-changing needs. For this most recent project, which called for the full renovation of the Education Center, BGA was challenged with a stringent timeline, mandating that the phased project be completed over the short summer break and in time for commencement of classes in the Fall. 
The centerpiece of the project involved the renovation of (20) Classrooms with a mix of 'Wet' and 'Dry' Laboratories. BGA incorporated state-of-the-art teaching resources, including hi-resolution displays and monitors for Digital Microscopy together with reconfigurable classroom furniture layouts. Our design rationale anticipated the potentially different requirements of the College curriculum as well as teaching methods of the Professorial Staff. By introducing mobile tables and seating, BGA provided an element of flexibility, thus benefiting both teacher and student.  
To further enhance the learning experience, BGA addressed the need for sound isolation in the classroom by specifying suspended ceilings and employing vibration isolators on the new HVAC equipment. These acoustical features minimize the sound transmission between classrooms, thus optimizing the learning experience.  
For the College's lighting needs, BGA, ever mindful of budgetary constraints, specified LED light sources for the lighting layouts to ensure consistency with the College's energy-conservation goals. 
Lastly, in conjunction with input from the College's Steering Committee, BGA coordinated with Weill Cornell's furniture supplier to refine the selection of educational furniture products and the specifications of seating, tables and lockers to complement the new design.
 
Once again, the collaborative efforts of the Weill Cornell Medical College team, the Engineering Consultants, the Suppliers and Contractors together with the BGA team resulted in design work and a finished project of exceptional quality.
The Pinetree Group,
548 West 28th Street, New York, NY
This six-story heavy-timber structure, built around 1900, was initially home to the NY Steam Stone Dressing Company. In later years it also housed an iron works firm, a number of manufacturers and a Taxi Garage. Now, in keeping with the ever-changing New York City landscape, this through-block building is now home to galleries, artists, sculptors and woodworkers.
As building architects for The Pinetree Group, BGA has completed numerous projects including both base building and tenant work, at this complex totaling 90,000 SF, over the past 16+ years.
BGA's projects include the conversion of the taxi garage to art galleries and retail space in addition to infrastructure upgrade projects to replace the building's outdated manual elevators with automatic ones, as well as the installation of new HVAC equipment.
Located in the West Chelsea Historic District, the building complex is subject to review and approval by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission for all changes to the building envelope. BGA has submitted work for new Exterior Lighting, a full historic Window Replacement as well as the restoration of the Ground Floor storefronts. BGA participated in both Community Board Meetings as well as meetings with the NYC Landmark Preservation Commission, to obtain the requisite approvals.
BGA's interior design projects include the renovation of the Entrance Lobby, Corridor Upgrades with new finishes and energy efficient lighting plus ADA updates to the core toilets. In terms of Tenant work, BGA has completed design projects for Galleries including: Munro Studios, Viridian Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
One property owner, one architectural firm, a multitude of different projects and a long-standing partnership. BGA's creativity, our solutions-oriented focus and our commitment to our clients are at the core of what we do for all of our clients, each and every day.
Meet Emilio Wong - Senior Project Manager
Emilio first enrolled in a mechanical drawing class as a teenager. That decision sparked a creative flame that continues to burn brightly today. As a high-school student in Brooklyn, New York, he studied architectural drafting and building construction
Continuing his education, Emilio obtained an Associate's Degree from New York Institute of Technology, and later a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College in New York City.  While at Hunter College, Emilio collaborated with one of his professors and expanded his knowledge base by taking outside assignments. Emilio delights in continual learning. As he has said on many occasions, "The architecture profession provides the opportunity to learn something new all the time." We're delighted that this seasoned professional is part of the BGA family.
Emilio is driven by the creative process and when speaking about design, his enthusiasm is clearly evident. He is deliberate and methodical in his approach to projects and his ability to extract a clear definition of client needs and project goals is unsurpassed. Working with Emilio, BGA's clients and project sub-consultants alike, derive a sense of confidence that their projects are indeed in capable hands.
For many years, Emilio has spearheaded projects for long-term clients Weill Cornell Medical College and The Pinetree Group, both featured in this newsletter. He is responsible for a wide variety of commercial design projects, from corporate offices (Evercore/ISI) to retail showrooms (American Eagle Outfitters) to Property Management (RXR Realty). His outstanding record speaks to Emilio's talent, his skill, and his assiduous goal to exceed client expectations.
Of Chinese heritage, Emilio hails from Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the United States as a child. Growing up in New York City led to an interest in basketball, baseball and touch football. An added benefit...Emilio is tri-lingual and is never at a loss for words, be they in English, Spanish or Chinese!
BODDEWYN GAYNOR ARCHITECTS, d.p.c. 
120 Broadway, Suite 3654 New York, NY 10271 212.334.0900  
© Copyright 2016, Boddewyn Gaynor Architects d.p.c.
IN THIS ISSUE
OUR PROMISE

Boddewyn Gaynor Architects understands that your needs evolve steadily, and we make certain we can adapt to them. By continually educating ourselves about the latest trends and changes, we can hit the ground running to integrate new, value-added features to our work and to your spaces. We're continually finding fresh and different ways to meet the challenges you face. At all times, we keep your objectives, budgets and timelines uppermost in our minds.

"We have engaged Boddewyn Gaynor Architects for several projects since 2009 , including office fit outs, teaching laboratories, classroom space and lecture halls.
 
In each case, the firm has undertaken their work with the highest degree of professionalism, design sensitivity, and technical expertise. BGA has been especially responsive to our requirements, including budget and schedule. We're pleased with their development of creative and relevant architectural solutions, coordination of all aspects of the project, their attention to detail, and consistent follow-through."
 
William H. Cunningham, AIA
Campus Architect, Weill Cornell Medical College
 
WBENC / WBE / DBE Certified
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