When AVCON Railing Systems CEO Larry Stanley first heard about plans to redevelop Cottage Gardens into a mixed-use complex, he was overjoyed. “It’s a unique area. You look across the Hudson River at the Palisades and the majestic 200-foot-tall sheer cliffs, and it’s just a beautiful spot. We were excited because we knew the product applications for the redevelopment would require unique solutions throughout the development, including a rooftop terrace. Custom solutions are where we shine.”
After the post is mounted, the insulation is replaced and a roof membrane seals the post. What isn’t visible to the naked eye is an epoxy that fills the posts up to and above the walking surface. The specialized epoxy fills in all internal cracks and crevices and hardens to prevent moisture from entering the hollow post and infiltrating the roof surface.
The multi-phase project by The Community Builders, in partnership with the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers (MHACY), features the redevelopment of a deteriorated 1940’s era public housing complex in Yonkers, NY, that will provide up to 500 units of mixed-income, affordable rental housing. The development cost for the six-phase project is anticipated to top $296 million. The project is currently in Phase IV, and AVCON has worked on each phase of the redevelopment as a provider of railing, fencing and gate applications.
Stanley founded AVCON Railing Systems in 1991 with a vision to create an outdoor weatherable, code-compliant, structural railing system. Today, AVCON is one of the top custom railing systems in America with customers that include Walt Disney World, Disney Hong Kong, Sesame Place and American Dream. The newly renovated Woolworth Building in NYC is topped with 1,200 LF of AVCON’s Majestic Series Powder Coated Aluminum Glass Railing System.
AVCON prides itself in being one of the only companies that offers a turnkey package from design and engineering to installation. AVCON’s ability to provide one-source solutions is attributed in part to its partnership with Ultra Aluminum™.
“AVCON and Ultra Aluminum share a work ethic. We roll up our sleeves, look at a project from all angles, and create solutions that are customized for each application. In the case of Cottage Gardens, we’re providing railings that protect people, gates that need to be ADA complaint, fencing that needs to meet the vision of the designer, and many other pieces and parts,” said Stanley.
The wide variety of Ultra Aluminum products applied in the Cottage Gardens redevelopment project provide a beautiful, cohesive look for the development. Products include Ultra Signature™ continuous top rail system, post-to-post system, playground and site fencing, retaining wall fencing, gate assemblies, cap railing and drive gates.
Gina Herbert, a Sales Executive with AVCON for over 20 years, said being a single source for all solutions requiring fencing, railing and gates is not only convenient for the customer, but it also gives AVCON the ability to ensure the entire system is engineered to work well together. “One of the reasons we’ve been a partner in every phase of the Cottage Gardens redevelopment since 2015 is that the developer knows they can count on us to get the job done right, no matter how complex it is. We don’t settle for out-of-the-box solutions, and we align with partners who support our vision to provide customized solutions that meet or exceed building
and safety codes.”
Herbert said AVCON’s engineering department frequently works with Ultra Aluminum’s support staff to create solutions that are custom manufactured and fabricated to meet the unique challenges of the Cottage Gardens redevelopment project. “There is a thought process that goes way above and beyond a box system,” Herbert commented. “And that thought process was essential to the creation of a rooftop terrace for Phase IV of the Cottage Gardens redevelopment.”
A Rooftop Terrace with Sky-High Challenges
One of the most exciting features of Phase IV of the Cottage Gardens redevelopment is a rooftop terrace that sits atop the ten-story multi-use building. The terrace overlooks the Hudson River and stunning Palisades and will provide residents with a beautiful outdoor recreation area.
AVCON designed a layout that will not allow egress to the roof edge. When finished, Ultra Aluminum picket railing will be installed between each of the posts.
Installing the safety railing for the terrace proved to be a deep challenge. “When you redevelop a building, you can’t always anticipate what you’re going to come up against,” explained Stanley. “We didn’t know how deep the roof was before we started cutting it open.”
Challenges presented by the depth of the roof:
- To be mounted to concrete, every one of the hundreds of posts for the railings must be mounted 12 inches below the walking surface of the roof, presenting extra challenges to ensure proper reinforcement of the railing system.
- Aluminum posts are hollow, and left untouched, can become channels for water.
- Vibrations and loads ten stories in the air create an increased risk for cracks that could result in water infiltration.
Customized solutions meet long-term performance and safety requirements:
AVCON engineered, and Ultra Aluminum manufactured, customized components that ensure a safe, beautiful railing that will never become a source of water infiltration.
- To reach the concrete surface needed to mount the railing posts, AVCON cut 12-inch-deep square holes in the roof to mount the posts directly to the concrete. Once mounted, pavers were cut tight around the posts and the walking surface was refit by the roofer to present a seamless match.
- AVCON specified a special epoxy that was approved by an independent engineer for the railing application. The epoxy is fluid enough to fill the posts up to and above the walking surface and fill in all internal cracks and crevices, while providing the hardness needed to ensure moisture never enters through the hollow post where it could reach the roof’s surface and travel into the building.
- Custom components were engineered and installed to withstand the wind loads and stresses imposed on a railing system installed 100 feet in the air. Components include increased wall thickness, 12” x 12” flange plates with custom predrilled holes, and special screws specified for each corner of the post.
AVCON and Ultra Aluminum bring connection to the community
Stanley said one of the most exciting aspects of being involved in the Cottage Gardens redevelopment is what it provides the community that lives there. “The former design of Cottage Gardens was inward facing. The new design promotes community by encouraging the use of outdoor space and linking the property directly to the street grid. Ultra Aluminum has been instrumental in enabling us to bring beautiful, customized, and safe solutions to Cottage Gardens that residents can enjoy for years to come.”
AVCON
732.286.9496
info@AVCON.com
AVCON.com
AVCON Railing Systems manufactures and installs custom commercial safety railings, handrails, and guardrails. AVCON is ‘made in the USA’ custom weather-resistant, code-compliant, structural railing systems for buildings, hotels/motels, municipalities, transit stations, parks, arenas, stadiums, railway stations, depots, and terminals.
Ultra Aluminum™ Manufacturing Inc.
517.548.6755
Ultrarailing.com
Ultra Aluminum™ manufactures and distributes ornamental aluminum fencing, gates and railing systems to contractors and landscapers. Its complete line of low-maintenance aluminum fencing products brings the traditional look of wrought-iron fence to residential commercial and industrial applications.
