STRUCTURE

Inspiration

The IAC Building’s design was inspired by a ship’s sail, specifically the billowing spinnaker sail of a racing yacht (WikiArquitectura, 2023). The building’s architect, Frank Gehry, was reportedly inspired by the idea of creating a building that looked like it was “in motion” and wanted to incorporate the sail-like shape to give the building a unique and dynamic appearance (WikiArquitectura, 2023). The glass curtain wall, which is curved and deformed, adds to the building’s sail-like appearance and creates a sense of movement, even when the building is still.

Structural Componets

The IAC Building has a unique structure that features the world’s first deformed cold glass curtain resulting in a curved wall. It has only two vertical columns, and the reinforced concrete columns are inclined up to 25° from vertical (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). The building’s thick walls serve as a core weight to offset the twisting effect of the structural columns and hold the fire escape. During construction, a two-day cycle was used to pour the concrete slabs, reducing construction time by 50% (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). The building rises 47.24 meters above street level and has numerous windows on the floor slabs, with some corners featuring glass that twists 150 degrees from floor to ceiling (WikiArquitectura, 2023). The mixed concrete “in situ” offers excellent acoustic and fire-resistant features. The building received the Pinnacle Award from the Association of Building Owners and Managers (BOMA) of New York in 2009.

Floor Plan

The IAC Building boasts a 120 feet wide and 11 feet tall LED screen on its western facade, consisting of over 1.5 million LED bulbs (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). The screen displays high-resolution images and videos, featuring art installations, advertisements, and other digital media curated by the building’s owner, IAC. The modern office spaces have open floor plans, glass partitions, and large windows that allow for natural light. The offices also have advanced technology and infrastructure, including high-speed internet and state-of-the-art audio-visual systems (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). The building offers a fitness center, café, and rooftop garden with stunning views of the city skyline and the Hudson River, creating a comfortable and enjoyable working environment for employees.

Column Support

The structural floor plans of the IAC building differ slightly due to the building’s gradual setback and more noticeable setback at the sixth floor. To accommodate this, most of the building’s superstructure columns are sloped, causing significant torsional rotation that had to be taken into consideration during the initial design process (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). Three-dimensional computer simulations were used to design the lateral system and predict curtain wall displacements. The column strength for the building is 5950 psi, and the column diameters range from 20” to 38”, with most being spaced 25 to 30 feet apart. The columns in the basement are primarily 28” in diameter for perimeter columns and 34” to 38” in diameter for interior columns (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008).

Natural Light

The IAC Building is designed to use natural sunlight to the fullest. Its unique curtain wall facade, made up of over 1,700 glass panels, floods the interior with light. The angled glass panels control the amount of sunlight and reduce glare and heat gain (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008). The building’s interior has open office spaces, glass partitions, and light-colored materials to enhance natural light. The use of natural light not only creates a better working environment but also lowers energy consumption and operating costs (Chicchi & Boothby, 2008).