Project Overview
The Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is a 17,175 ft² building that houses flexible gathering spaces to promote collaboration within the research community. The Rubenstein Commons are intended to have a transformative impact on intellectual and communal life at IAS, which is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading centers for basic research. Northeast Precast of Vineland, N.J., alongside Steven Holl Architects of New York, N.Y., designed, fabricated, and erected 10,652 ft² of 10- to 11-in.-thick precast concrete panels for the project, along with two sets of cantilevered, self-supported precast concrete stairs.
A Scholarly Choice
Early in the design process, Steven Holl Architects worked directly with the team at Northeast Precast to define the color, finish, and geometry of the precast concrete components selected as the best solution for the project. The design team had a vision of achieving superior quality on the finished surface of the panels and sought a solution that would function both structurally and aesthetically—something only precast concrete could accomplish.
“We were interested from the beginning in expressing the building structure as the exterior finish, and the ability of precast concrete to be both the exterior finish and structure of the building is something we don’t feel other materials could have achieved.”
For the two-story structure, all vertical reinforcement, from the basement walls through the panels, was developed using NMB Splice Sleeves, a high-efficiency system for connecting reinforcement in concrete structures. More than 1200 NMB splices were used in the panels, with one panel boasting 64 splices on its own. Because the NMB splices require pinpoint accuracy to be effective, tolerance requirements were extremely tight and close coordination among all teams involved was therefore necessary. Given the complexities of the project, none of the 60 panels was the same as another.
According to Hector Brambila, production engineer with Northeast Precast, the use of precast concrete helped the team successfully manage the most complex details of the work. “The designer and the builder benefited from extremely custom-shaped panels built and installed with higher precision,” he said. “We also had the ability to create a more uniform sandblast finish on the panels at our plant, allowing the builder to avoid on-site sandblasting. Precast concrete was also a plus when erecting the building, as its use led to minimal construction disruption to the campus.”
The Rubenstein Commons has a roughly L-shaped footprint. Certain parts of the design include panels clad with black slate; these panels form functional blackboards that can be used by the building’s occupants as they work. The building itself expresses a fluidity through its aesthetic, something that is intended to reflect the types of interactions taking place among the scholars as they perform their research. Additionally, the Rubenstein Commons project represents an important endeavor in a setting where new construction is unusual. Thanks to the durability and resilience of precast concrete, the building should be a critical piece of the IAS campus for decades to come.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |