The glass-clad LEED Platinum-certified
Centra Metropark office building, in Iselin, New Jersey, was designed by
Kohn Pederson Fox Associates. The 110,000-square foot (10,000-square-meter) building combines a rectangular, cantilevered fourth floor, supported on one corner by an irregular branching column and resting atop a re-skinned three-story existing office building.
"The core challenge of Centra was to evaluate an existing property
that needed to be master planned for a one-million-square-foot
development and decide what to do with its first building. This led to
the development of a project that has a very strong sustainable mindset
but also takes on the challenge of redefining the paradigm of the New
Jersey office park experience.
"With a few strategic additions and subtractions, 30,000 square
feet (2,800 square meters) of leasable area was added, which nearly doubled the building’s
presence. A 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) addition, floated from the fourth floor,
mirrors the existing building’s L-shaped plan, incorporates a new
state-of-the-art curtain wall, and upgrades the building’s
infrastructure. The addition transformed this 1980s eyesore and opened
its potential for future growth." – AIA
Jury Comments
While the context is less than desirable, the impact that this building has on the parkway has resulted in improvements of neighboring structures, proving that design can have a ripple effect in an otherwise mundane context.
The central exterior column supporting the massive truss level is built with precision and craftsmanship, allowing for maximum expansion while creating a covered welcoming piazza.
This project is an excellent example of the value of creatively reusing existing buildings and their embodied energy in lieu of tearing down and building new.
This creative adaptive reuse strategy is applicable to suburban sites around the United States.
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| The Centra Metropark combines a dramatic fourth floor addition with a re-skinned multi-story existing office building. Photo: Michael Moran |
Project Credits
- Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox
- Owner: Hampshire Real Estate Companies
- Contractor: Tishman Construction
- Engineer - MEP and FP: AMA Consulting Engineers
- Engineer - Structural: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
- Landscape Architect: Towers Golde
- Lighting Design: S+S Lighting Design
The building was recognized in the Architecture category of the
2013 AIA National Design Awards.
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The upper floor of the Centra Metropark is glazed and includes shading fins. Photo: Michael Moran
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| A bridge crosses the sunken courtyard. Photo: Michael Moran |
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| The existing building on the Centra Metropark site, before reskinning and expansion. Photo: Hugh Trumbull/ KPF |
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