Walters Group Inc. is pleased to have been selected as a partner in the retrofit of Friends Seminary, a historic K-12 school in the heart of New York City. The work will involve two phases: an immediate retrofit of the Hunter Hall, and beginning in 2017, retrofitting a group of townhouses that are part of the school.

The steel work for Hunter Hall involves fabricating and installing five floor-depth trusses, each spanning 60ft, that create the second and third stories. The hall will be topped with a 10-ton structural steel play roof with synthetic turf finish.

In their strategic plan, Friends Seminary makes special note of how space affects students’ experience. We also place great emphasis on how people experience the spaces they help create. This retrofitting project provides us with a unique opportunity use our understanding of the power of built space to contribute to the school’s vision.

While considerations of the vision matter, much of Walters’ focus will be on addressing the challenging issues of structure and logistics. The retrofit will require designing and fabricating an interim frame, which will provide stability during construction, and be removed only when the work is completed. The townhouses will involve a combination of exposed and hidden structural steel, and will need to respect the history and existing architecture of the buildings. In all, the two phases will require a total of about 400 tons of steel.

Walters will conduct multiple surveys to uncover what lies beneath the external façade of the existing structure. While this will require a significant investment in the planning phases, the knowledge gained will save time and money during the fabrication and installation phases.

View the Friends Seminary Project >>