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The Young Women’s Christian Association was founded in 1888. The goal of the organization was to provide a meeting place for young women who were employed in retail stores, as office workers and other occupations throughout Brooklyn. These young ladies could listen to lectures, concerts, enjoy the reading room, and receive Christian instruction, if so desired. It was the first major organization of its kind in Brooklyn to be entirely run by women. Home / Multifamily YWCA OF BROOKLYN ARCHITECT . PROJECT SIZE . 180,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . HVAC design, energy efficiency, CHP feasibility Go Go The Young Women’s Christian Association was founded in 1888. The goal of the organization was to provide a meeting place for young women who were employed in retail stores, as office workers and other occupations throughout Brooklyn. These young ladies could listen to lectures, concerts, enjoy the reading room, and receive Christian instruction, if so desired. It was the first major organization of its kind in Brooklyn to be entirely run by women.

Home / Residential 347 WEST END AVENUE ARCHITECT . Lamb & Rich PROJECT SIZE . PROJECT COST . SCOPE . MEP engineering design Go 347 WEST END AVENUE This Eclectic Renaissance/Revival building was designed with a limestone façade and gabled tile roof by famed architects Lamb & Rich as part of an original row of 14 houses in 1891. The home’s first owner was Charles F. Rand who made his fortune in the mining industry in Cuba and Spain. In the 1950’s, the property was converted to nine apartments, and now the new owners are converting back to a single family residence. The scope of the conversion included an additional set back fifth floor, with an elevator overrun, roof bulkhead, and copper and glass skylight atop it. The current three-story-tall projecting rear yard addition will be demolished and replaced with a four-story-tall rear yard addition. A Juliette balcony, clad in copper, will jut out just into the canopy of a 130- to 140-year-old cherry tree. This is Altera Engineering's third project along the historic West End Avenue, 915 West End Avenue and 309 West 86th Street. The Altera Engineering team worked closely with the architect to thoughtfully integrate new infrastructure into the existing historic shell. Altera Engineering provided MEP engineering design and approval services for all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.

Home / Landmarks EAST 10 STREET, MANHATTAN TOWNHOUSES ARCHITECT . Phil Toscano (architect of record) Beringer Architects (interior) PROJECT SIZE . Each townhouse is about 5,500 SF PROJECT COST . $5 million SCOPE . Full MEP/FP design Go Go Full gut renovation of two landmarked townhouses near historic Stuyvesant Street in Manhattan in St. Mark’s historic district. According to Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), 106 and 110 are two of three identical houses were built in 1867 by an Irish-American builder, James Mulry, at an estimated cost of $6,000. The three buildings were erected on the lots that Mr. Mulry leased from Hamilton Fish- the 16th Governor of New York State and the Secretary of State under Ulysses Grant. The buildings were designed in a late version of the Italianate style by D. & J. Jardine Architects. The segmental-arched doorways have stone cornico-slabs supported on vertical console brackets which, in turn, are carried on paneled pilasters. They are four stories high, above a basement, and all retain their stoops. They are all three surmounted by individual bracketed cornices which are aligned at the same level. The stone basement wall is carried up to sill height at the first floor with recessed stone panels under each window. Altera Engineering carried upgrades to power, water, sewer utility connections. Our engineers worked hand-in-hand with the interior architects to thoughtfully integrate central heating and cooling systems into the buildings.

Home / Residential PHILLIPSPORT CHURCH HOUSE ARCHITECT . ARCHITECTURE IN FORMATION PC PROJECT SIZE . 3,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . Full MEP/FP design optimization, energy modeling Go PHILLIPSPORT CHURCH HOUSE A conversion of an 1823 Methodist church to a single family residence. Phillipsport United Methodist Church was one of the oldest buildings erected in village of Wurtsboro. Envisioned as a summer home, the owner/architect carefully inserted usable residential spaces into the existing 195-year old historic structure. Altera Engineering team worked closely with the designer to come up with a modern heating and cooling solution that can be seamlessly integrated into the building. Double height ceilings of the main sanctuary and 15-ft tall single pane float glass windows presented a challenge for heating and cooling that can meet the current energy code. The response was a high efficiency variable refrigerant volume system designed for both heating and cooling with displacement air supplies along the perimeter of the main sanctuary. The existing steeple was retrofitted to be used as a natural ventilation chimney.

DUTCH KILLS OFFICE BUILDING SCOPE . MEP design and NYSERDA rebate assistance. Full MEP/FP design, special and progress inspections PROJECT COST . $18,000,000 Home / Commercial DUTCH KILLS OFFICE BUILDING ARCHITECT . Laufs Engineering Design PROJECT SIZE . 43,000 GDF PROJECT COST . $18,000,000 SCOPE . MEP design and NYSERDA rebate assistance. Full MEP/FP design, special and progress inspections Go Go A Class A 43,000 SF ground-up commercial office building designed to accommodate a variety of uses, from film production to events spaces. Building’s envelope and mechanical systems were designed to meet NYSERDA commercial building program performance requirements of 15% better than energy code. To allow for a degree of flexibility in building uses, the project’s heating and cooling source was conceived as a water loop consisting of a 90-ton cooling tower, variable speed pumps and high efficiency condensing boilers. Each floor/space was provided with high efficiency water-source heat pumps. The building was envisioned as ‘cogen-ready’ and was designed with a single master meter to allow future behind the meter tie-in. Each floor was provided with 3-phase 400 amp power.

Home / Hospitality EXECUTIVE LE SOLEIL HOTEL ARCHITECT . Peter Poon Architects PROJECT SIZE . 100,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . Design, approvals and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler, electrical and fire alarm systems. Go Go The challenge on this project was to combine the Canadian style and type of the proposed MEP systems with the local NYC requirements. Altera Engineering has designed the plumbing and fire protection systems for this building being employed by RC Consulting.

Home / Landmarks 79 WALKER STREET ARCHITECT . Stephen B Jacobs Group PROJECT SIZE . 21,500 GSF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . HVAC, sprinkler, plumbing and electrical power, fire alarm design and construction administration Go Go 79 Walker Street is a 6-story store and loft building constructed in 1869 for the rapidly expanding of the neighborhood’s textile trade. When completed, the building was occupied by manufacturing lofts, followed by a pocketbook manufacturer in the early 1900’s, hardware manufacturing and- most recently- an art gallery. The developers retained Altera Engineering to support their ambitious conversion to a modern office catering to New York city’s tech and startup firms. Altera Engineering provided MEP engineering design and approval services, working closely with architects and owners to upgrade building’s infrastructure and integrate state-of-the-art mechanical systems into the existing historic shell.

A new 5-storey luxury rental building in Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. The project comprises of studios, 1 and 2-bedroom apartments. The building does not use natural gas or any other fuel for heating. The building is cooled and heated with a variable-refrigerant flow system in lieu of more conventional gas-fired boilers. Hot water for domestic use is generated via refrigerant-based heat pump water heaters. Home / Multifamily 1062 HANCOCK STREET, BROOKLYN ARCHITECTURE . Think! Architecture PROJECT SIZE . 13,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . full MEP design, HVAC, sprinkler, plumbing and electrical power design and construction administration Go Go A new 5-storey luxury rental building in Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. The project comprises of studios, 1 and 2-bedroom apartments. The building does not use natural gas or any other fuel for heating. The building is cooled and heated with a variable-refrigerant flow system in lieu of more conventional gas-fired boilers. Hot water for domestic use is generated via refrigerant-based heat pump water heaters.

Home / Landmarks 712 BROADWAY ARCHITECT . PROJECT SIZE . PROJECT COST . SCOPE . MEP engineering design and approval services Go Go 712 Broadway is an 8-story landmarked building located in NoHo (North of Houston) historic district. The iron frame, granite and terra-cotta building was constructed as a warehouse in 1893 for the Scholle Brothers. The commercial building designed by Alfred Zucker replaced an 1803 3-story Federal-style mansion, which the Scholle Brothers bought for $88,000 in 1890. NoHo saw its first development by the first decade of the 19th century when John Jacob Astor acquired a large tract of land between Great Jones Street and Art Street (now Astor Place). From 1820 to 1840 the area developed as a fashionable residential district lined with lavish Federal and Greek Revival style residences. New York University was founded in 1831 in nearby Washington Square. Altera Engineering provided MEP engineering design and approval services for a loft apartment, working closely with architects and owners to integrate state-of-the-art mechanical systems into the existing historic features of the apartments.

Home / Hospitality HYATT PLACE MIDTOWN ARCHITECT . Peter Poon Architects PROJECT SIZE . 90,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . Design, approvals and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler, electrical and fire alarm systems. Go Go Altera Engineering was engaged by another consultant to design efficient plumbing and sprinkler systems. The challenge was to design domestic water distribution system with equal pressure between the floors of a high-rise building. The solution was a two-zone water distribution system. The building has two (2) fire sprinkler/standpipe reserve roof tanks, which are being used as a primary feed for the special service fire pump.

Home / Hospitality MARRIOTT COURTYARD HOTEL ON W 30TH STREET ARCHITECT . Peter Poon Architects PROJECT SIZE . 113,000 SF PROJECT COST . SCOPE . Design, approvals and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler, electrical and fire alarm systems. Go Go Altera Engineering was engaged by another consultant to design efficient plumbing and sprinkler systems. The hotel developer challenged the design team to achieve LEED Gold certification. In order to achieve the Gold level, the building was provided with a combined heat and power plant consisting of two 50 kW, two gas-fired micro-turbines. CLIENT | Rodkine Cardinal Consulting Engineers

FASHION TOWER SCOPE . Design, approvals and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler, electrical and fire alarm systems. PROJECT COST . Home / Commercial FASHION TOWER ARCHITECT . GRT Architects PROJECT SIZE . PROJECT COST . SCOPE . Design, approvals and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler, electrical and fire alarm systems. Go Go GRT Architects recently completed the renovation and historic restoration of Fashion Tower, an Art Deco-era skyscraper in New York’s Garment District. The building was designed by Emery Roth, best known for his iconic pre-war residential towers including the San Remo and Beresford. Among the many buildings in what was once the epicenter of American clothing design and manufacturing, Fashion Tower is unique for its ornamental motifs referencing the apparel industry and for being occupied to this day by the garment trade. Motivated by the resurgence of the Fashion District and the building’s unique history, the current owner asked GRT Architects to restore the facade of the tower’s base while sensitively incorporating a contemporary lobby. Guided by Roth’s original drawings archived at Columbia University’s Avery Library, GRT Architects restored the exterior of Fashion Tower to its original splendor. Earlier renovations obscured a figured sandstone facade with layers of grey stucco and destroyed intricate detailing at the entry. Into a restored carved stone archway, GRT Architects added a minimal all-glass entry set back from the line of the masonry. True to Roth’s intentions, this portal is once again flanked by polychrome terracotta panels with peacock motifs— symbols of apparel, elegance and style. These peacocks rejoin surviving ornament that include winged putti holding shears and draping fabric, and women admiring their reflections and clutching spindles. A delicate façade cleaning revealed a richly veined sandstone cladding and forensic paint analysis was used to bring the appearance of cast iron spandrels and window frames back to the original. Inside, GRT Architects extended Roth’s stylized celebration of the fashion industry with a double-height lobby clad in pleated calacatta marble and bronze-tinted aluminum. The geometry of the lobby wall nods to folds in fabric while the scale and material palette play on the delicate balance between imposing and intimate that is a hallmark of New York Art Deco. Off-site CNC fabrication and on-site handcraft was used to realize a contemporary design in a classic material. Drawing upon the building’s history to prepare it for the next hundred years of service, the renovation reasserts the importance of fashion and style in a dynamic neighborhood.