Side By Side

Grimshaw Architects designs a sustainable and community-oriented office complex in Los Angeles.

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, affectionately nicknamed St. John the Unfinished, remains without a spire, its south transept, and fully realized towers. Construction on the cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of New York began in 1892 but only two-thirds of the church was ever completed. Still, the complex is making progress. The cathedral, which by some measures is the largest in the world, has just completed a three-year, $17 million renovation to repair its dome.

Ennead Architects, alongside Silman, Building Conservation Associates, and James R. Gainfort Consulting Architects, has refaced and restored the dome, which was a 1909 addition by Spanish American architect and master builder Rafael Guastavino. The rounded top was a provisional design element that spans the church’s four granite arches, occupying the location of an unrealized spire.

providing necessary thermal insulation and preventing water entry. To start, waterlogged insulation was removed, and tiles were allowed to dry out. The original tile work was evaluated and damaged pieces replaced with new, custom-made ones from Sandkuhl Clay Works. The design team specified the installation of sprayfoam insulation on the exterior surface of the structure to aid in thermal regulation.

Grimshaw Architects is looking to transform a parking lot in Los Angeles’s Chinatown into a bustling creative hub. The lot, at 130 West College Street, is slated to be a five-story, 233,000-square-foot development massed as two office buildings separated by a central atrium. The design, which will be structured in mass timber, places a strong emphasis on sustainable methods and systems as well as occupant wellness.

The proposal to reimagine the site—currently a vacant lot wedged between College, Bruno, North Alameda, and North Main streets in an underutilized section of the mixed-use neighborhood—has been submitted for entitlement review. Grimshaw developed the design with Riboli Family Wines and development manager Granite Properties.

Initial renderings of 130 West College show the two rectangular buildings standing side by side with a midblock courtyard. At street level, landscaping wraps the perimeter of the building where restaurants and shops can be situated. Above a wood-clad podium, two two-story rectangular volumes are layered and shifted in plan. Expansive terraces on the south-facing facade give the building its tiered appearance.

The program for 130 West College is reflected on its dynamic facades: Along the shorter faces, large spans of glass open to public-facing outdoor deck spaces. Meeting rooms and other spaces for more concentrated or private work are placed within the building’s core. Upper floors of the eastand west-facing elevations are fronted with a vertical grid of narrowed windows, while at street level timber slatting crowns the glass storefronts.

“The design vision is to create a vibrant and flexible exterior environment to accommodate different types of occupation across all levels of the development,” Andrew Byrne, managing partner of Grimshaw’s Los Angeles studio explained in a press release.

The project is an important one for Grimshaw, as its Los Angeles offices are just a few blocks away.

“With Grimshaw’s studio located just down the street from 130 West College, we feel very connected to the Chinatown neighborhood,” Byrne added. “It is important to us that our design for the building complements the local architecture and contributes to the vibrancy of the community.”

Though the buildings occupy much of the site, this does not close it off to the public: A landscaped plaza and raised outdoor terrace sandwiched between the two buildings create an inviting meeting spot for the entire community.

The proposed building prizes sustainability. As a firm, Grimshaw has “publicly committed to design and deliver socially and environmentally regenerative buildings and assets by 2030.” According to the firm’s website, it strives to achieve net zero carbon/net zero carbon–ready in all its design work by 2025. With all-electric systems, an array of photovoltaics, and the use of carbon-sequestering mass timber within the building, Grimshaw is making headway toward those decarbonization goals.

Another project goal promotes wellness among tenants. In addition to office space and collaborative work environments, the buildings would house bike storage, showers, and lockers.

“Today’s workers prioritize wellness and social engagement in their everyday experiences, so it is imperative to design the modern workplace with purpose and intention to draw people back into the office,” Byrne continued. “Our design for 130 West College will provide a robust mix of flexible workspace, desirable amenities, and outdoor space to support new ways of working.”

Alongside Grimshaw and developers, the project team includes SALT Landscape Architects, with Holmes Structures as the structural engineer, Buro Happold as the MEP engineer, and civil engineering work from Langan.

An entitlements review will be the next step for 130 College Street. The next design stage is anticipated to begin in early 2024. KK

Guastavino’s recognizable tile-work designs can be found all over New York City: at the Registry Room at Ellis Island, in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central, and on the underside of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Guastavino designed the dome in the early 20th century as a temporary solution. Originally built in granite with a terra-cotta underside, the central dome defines an area known as the Crossing. The interior of the dome was never an ornate affair; rather, it was faced with concentric rings of tiles. In the years following its construction, several proposals circulated to replace the rounded volume with a completed Crossing, to be topped with a tower and spire.

As a structure built for short-term use, it wasn’t long after its completion that the dome required maintenance and structural upgrades. The landmark cathedral has been troubled with other issues for decades, as temperature fluctuations cause the dome to expand during hot weather and contract when the temperature drops. This seasonal (and daily) shift led to cracking and water infiltration. Beyond that movement, two fires caused damage within the church. In 2001 a blaze overtook the church gift shop and a part of the north transept, and in 2019 flames broke out in the crypt but were contained.

Renovation efforts have remedied these issues by improving structural integrity while

Working on the dome has required a careful balance between retrofitting for structural considerations and maintaining architectural quality and integrity. The tiled interior of the dome was recently restored and the new copper roof was added. This recent renovation is the first time in decades that the terra-cotta work has been visible. According to the Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the tiles have been covered over by layers of “New York City soot, candle wax, and incense smoke,” blackening their appearance.

Ennead has a long history of working with St. John the Divine. The firm has overseen the continued upkeep of the building and property, collectively known as the Close. Its work has been consistently informed by the church’s mission and needs.

“Working closely to align with the cathedral’s priorities and concerns, we were privileged to have contributed to the enduring design within this magnificent landmark,” Charles Brainerd, senior associate at Ennead Architects, stated in a press release. “Our restoration harmonizes with the designs from a series of other architectural authors in the Cathedral’s century-plus existence, further enriching and honoring its history while reinforcing its integrity.”

Copper on the newly refaced dome matches the copper used on the cathedral’s choir and apse. The design utilizes a batten-seam copper roof construction, and the installation is laid out in a radial arrangement of rectangular copper sheets. The reddish-brown tone of the copper will patina to green over time, matching the color of the longstanding angel Gabriel statue on the apse roof.

The architects said that with the right care, the dome could last another 100 years. Whether a spire will ever rise atop the cathedral remains to be seen. KK

The International Mass Timber Conference brought together architects, contractors, fabricators, and foresters.