Javits Convention Center Transformer Building February Construction Update

Epstein is serving as the design architect and structural engineer for the Javits Centers Transformer Building, a critical piece of infrastructure that will provide power and emergency services for both the existing Javits Center the busiest convention center in the United States and its ongoing expansion.

The Transformer Building spans the active loading dock ramps that facilitate freight moving in and out of the Javits Center and it is surrounded on all sides by active construction work for the expansion project, including Expo and Meeting Room space which will completely envelop the Transformer Building upon completion. Due to these logistical challenges and the need to coordinate the transfer of power from the prior transformer yard below the building into the new equipment within the building the Transformer Building has been built from the top-down. The second and third floors are already operational, providing all of the electrical power to the Javits Center, while construction on the first floor has only recently begun.

The first floor is rapidly filling up with fuel storage tanks that will supply the four generators that have already been installed on the floors above, giving the Javits Center 12.5 megawatts of emergency and standby power generation capabilities. The recently-installed fire pump upgrades the existing Javits fire protection system and prepares it for an additional 1,250,000 square feet of coverage in the new expansion and truck marshalling buildings. The enclosure of the first floor will resist the water and pressure from potential storm surges and tie into the flood-proofing upgrades to the existing Javits Center, which was inundated during Superstorm Sandy keeping the new equipment within protected and dry.

Construction on the Transformer Building will conclude this summer in preparation for the spring 2021 completion of the overall expansion project.