Challenge

Architectural plans called for a 46-story Diagrid tower to rise above the original six-story Landmark site of the Hearst Corporation headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Air conditioning the dramatic six-story lobby—with its 70-foot-high ceiling—provided a particular set of challenges.

Solution

Concrete flooring and displacement ventilation perfectly conduct the radiant heating and cooling system—a matrix of water circulating through embedded pipes that removes heat from sunlight coming through the windows. With energy efficiency in mind, Uponor employed a stepped water fountain on both sides of the central escalators to cool and dehumidify the lobby space.

The lobby’s radiant cooling system—the first of its kind in the United States for a commercial high rise—maintains year-round comfort, with no condensation on the floor. As the first “green” high-rise in New York City, Hearst Tower uses 25% less energy than the minimum requirements of prevailing codes for buildings. The building also received the city’s first U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold rating.

Products on the Job

Uponor radiant cooling system – with no condensing on the floor