ICS Builders, Inc. and BKSK Architects completed the new, $4.1-million, 10,600-sf Community of the Holy Spirit St. Hilda’s House convent building located in the Sugarhill section of Manhattan’s West Harlem neighborhood. ICS served CHS, a monastic community for women in the Episcopal Church, as general contractor. BKSK Architects LLP provided architectural and interior design for the new, environmentally friendly facility.
In addition to ICS Builders and BKSK Architects, the project team included structural engineer Weidlinger Associates Inc., MEP engineer Laszlo Bodak Engineer, P.C., lighting designer Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, and landscaping consultant Dennis Gray Horticulture.
The facility's design highlights the inherent link between environmental consciousness and religious reverence. The architectural and construction team's design approach and construction practices reflected the resident nuns’ desire to connect more profoundly with the natural world and live in an environmentally responsible manner.
The building's elegant and understated architecture complements the surrounding urban, residential neighborhood. Interior spaces are designed to inspire quiet contemplation, both individually and collectively. Although the project was not submitted for LEED certification, it features a high number of cutting-edge, environmentally responsible design solutions, materials, and systems. BD+C
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 4, 2019
Heart failure clinics are keeping more patients out of emergency rooms
An example of this building trend recently opened at Beaumont Hospital near Ann Arbor, Mich.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 30 Convention Center Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
LMN Architects, Gensler, Populous, Fentress Architects, and Moody Nolan top the rankings of the nation's largest convention center sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 110 Cultural Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
Gensler, Populous, DLR Group, Stantec, and Perkins and Will top the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
The future of libraries is less about being quiet and more about hands-on learning and face-to-face interactions. This and more cultural sector trends from BD+C's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Architects | Oct 3, 2019
LEO A DALY wins Architect of the Capitol contract
The firm will help modernize some of the country’s most significant public buildings.
3D Printing | Sep 17, 2019
Additive manufacturing goes mainstream in the industrial sector
More manufacturers now include this production process in their factories.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 12, 2019
Meet the masters of offsite construction
Prescient combines 5D software, clever engineering, and advanced robotics to create prefabricated assemblies for apartment buildings and student housing.
Cultural Facilities | Sep 11, 2019
The Kennedy Center expands for the first time since its 1971 debut
The REACH, with three pavilions on a generous lawn, adds openness and light to this performance space.
Architects | Sep 11, 2019
Buoyed by construction activity, architect compensation continues to see healthy gains
The latest AIA report breaks down its survey data by 44 positions and 28 metros.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 10, 2019
Carbon-neutral apartment building sets the pace for scalable affordable housing
Project Open has no carbon footprint, but the six-story, solar-powered building is already leaving its imprint on Salt Lake City’s multifamily landscape.