The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is New York City’s primary venue for trade shows, conferences, and special events. The Center’s renovation and expansion is a collaboration between FXFOWLE Architects and Epstein. The project includes transforming the entry plaza into a pedestrian-friendly landscaped urban space; new entrances; recladding the entire building enclosure with a new high-performance curtain-wall and skylights; installing a highly sustainable 6.75-acre green roof, and new mechanical and electrical systems. It is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The renovation will greatly enhance the user experience for the Javits’ annual 3.5 million visitors. The new cladding will allow convention-goers to see inside the Center from the street, increasing transparency and contextual connectivity to the site. Skylights at the top of the 155-foot high Crystal Palace permit natural daylight to penetrate the Galleria, concourse, and below-grade exhibition spaces. New graphic and way-finding systems, as well as painting the exposed steel structural system with light tones, will assure a welcoming, uplifting visitor experience.
Located on Manhattan’s Far West Side within the recently rezoned Hudson Yards district, the Javits’ renovation will serve as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. Since the 2005 adopted zoning map change, the planned high-density development of Hudson Yards will create a vibrant, 24-hour mixed-use district with a substantial amount of open space with connections to the Number 7 Subway line. The Javits Center will act as a model for the revitalization of the community.