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DASNY Fashion Institute of Technology, New Academic Building

Owner: Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Architect: SHoP Architects

Size: 105,000 SF

Budget: $125 million

Location: New York, NY

JFK&M provided MEP/FP engineering design services for the construction of a new academic building at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).  The new Academic building is a 10-story 105,000-sf addition on the undeveloped courtyard next to the existing ca 1960 Marvin Feldman Center located mid-block on the south side of 28th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues of the FIT campus.  JFK&M’s scope included the Utilities Design and Coordination for new Electric, Water and Gas services to the building as well as providing HVAC, Plumbing, Sprinkler, Electrical and Fire Alarm design for the project to be design for LEED platinum certification level.

JFK&M was hired to complete the project in 2015 after the project had been on hold since the original design in 2006 and following funding from DASNY. The design team reviewed the original design intent, and made MEP/FP updates to accommodate the program changes which included:

  • An additional elevator
  • Lobby level exhibit/display space cross functional as a high-end work/meeting space.
  • Adding a floor to accommodate additional classrooms at the 7th floor in lieu of a triple height space
  • Creation of a student life-work space o the fifth floor with a single, consistent layout and arrangement, in lieu of a reconfigurable multi-purpose space
  • Redesign of the proposed offices, storage space, and board room, of the 9th floor to accommodate other functions

The building site was excavated two stories below street grade. The lowest level houses the incoming utilities service rooms and a storage and swing space for the university. The next floor is level with the existing cellar level of the Feldman Building and contains the Bill Blass Center with industrial weaving and knitting machines. The ground floor is the main circulation connection between the new addition and the Feldman building. The second, third and fourth floors are general purpose classrooms designed to serve multiple departments. The fifth floor is the Student Life Hall, a two-story height space intended for students to use for a range of activities. The seventh floor has general purpose classrooms similar to levels 2 and 3. The eighth and ninth floors house administrative offices. A sunken roof houses the cooling towers, emergency generator, exhaust fans and other miscellaneous mechanical equipment if necessary. The project also included renovation of the existing Feldman Building (C Building).

For Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, the project was designed on a comprehensive BIM platform in Revit 2015. The architect, ShoP, supplied the consultant team with a detailed ‘BIM Execution Plan’ (Exhibit E) defining means and methods for model production, coordination and utilization. The team also had to comply with the AIA document G202-2013 standards for level of detail (LOD) of the model at each design phase.