HERE Arts New York, NY 2009

HERE Arts is an off Broadway theater complex that presents some of New York’s most “daring new hybrid art.” It is housed in the first floor and cellar of a former manufacturing building in Soho. The upper floor has a large theater, the lobby and a café that is open to both the theater and the sidewalk. The lower floor has a second theater and the organization's offices.

HERE’s website quotes the New York Times as saying HERE has “one of the most unusual arts spaces in New York and possibly the model for the cutting-edge arts spaces of tomorrow.” Charles Lauster Architect collaborated with Harry Gaveras, the design architect on this project.

Nan Shan Center
Flushing, Queens 2009

This ten story community services building goes into construction in the fall of 2007. The center houses a senior center from the basement to the second floor.
The seniors have a Chinese garden in the rear yard. The third floor is a child care center. The fourth floor sets back twenty feet and is enclosed only at the core; the rest of the floor is open to the light and air. This is the children’s playground.

The fifth through seventh floors are a community center with a variety of social services. The eighth through tenth floors are medical offices.

The enclosure employs a technically advanced panel that preserves wood veneer in a bakelite material. The wood doesn’t age or deteriorate. These panels are combined with glass and metal curtain wall.

The Chinese garden will have a traditional pavilion made in China and shipped to New York for assembly.

Childcare Centers New York City 1988-2009

CLA is specialized in the design of childcare centers.
New York City centers are closely regulated and the caregivers highly trained. Having designed centers all over the city, CLA has the knowledge to help groups new to child care and those with great experience to build and furnish new facilities.

For instance, in 2004 CLA completed a four classroom center for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau in the Bronx. This center is part of a larger youth and social service center. Separating the childcare function from the other uses while maintaining an overall sense of community distinguishes this project.

In 2003 CLA completed an expansion of the child care center at Brooklyn College which also serves to teach child care as part of the academic program.

One of CLA’s earliest centers is the Chung Pak Childcare Center in Chinatown built in 1992. It is part of a mixed use building that includes retail, low income elderly housing and social service. CLA was part of the original development team for this project and included childcare from the outset.

New York City Veterinary Specialists
New York City 2005-2009

NYC Vet Specialists is the largest animal surgery clinic in New York City. At 17,000 sf, the Manhattan Center has examination rooms, preparation areas, surgery suites, doctors offices and lounges for pet owners. In terms of medical imaging, there is a MRI, CAT scan, lineal accelerator and several x-ray machines.

The clinic is on two levels of a new building in mid-town. Glass and open space give a light and airy feel. This approach creates the opportunity for visual contact among the staff for quick reactions and overall control of operations.

The Queens Center, 7,630 sf, is a satelite facility serving the Forest Hills neighborhood. It was completed in 2008.

A New York Times article on NYC Vet Specialists:

United Nations
New York City 2001-2003

The United Nations began a major renovation program  in 2001. CLA was asked to create the first set of digital drawings of the entire New York campus. Working from the original drawing for all of the UN buildings and from extensive on site measurements, the CLA team produced the master set in use today.

As part of the renovation program, CLA, working with the Renato Sarno Group, oversaw the restoration and upgrade of the entire General Assembly ceiling. The work entailed new lighting, sprinklers, and acoustic treatment of this historic landmark.

CLA was also part of the team that restored the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium in the UN Library building, another Modern Movement architectural landmark.

Union Health Center
New York City 1998

The Union Health Center is a 60,000 square foot primary medical care facility that serves members of UNITE and other unions. They moved from five floors that had last been built out in the 1950s to two larger floors in the same building. CLA assisted the UHC staff from the earliest programming stages right through State certification and operation.

The facility includes examination rooms, a radiology suite, a physical therapy center, an eye, ear, nose and throat department, a laboratory, a pharmacy and administrative areas. Great attention was given to moving patients from the waiting areas to the exam rooms crisply. From the staff’s prospective the flow was to be as smooth as possible. From the patient’s viewpoint it was to be as comforting and  reassuring as possible. Robin Guenther and John Petrarca were associated with CLA for this project.