400 Fifth avenue: Langham Place, New York City

A stainless steel crown, engineered and fabricated by Zahner, sits atop the 650’ high-rise. Angel Hair, the Zahner developed glare reducing surface texture, was applied to each panel along with custom bumps. Langham Place, originally the Setai Hotel, was designed by Gwathmey Siegel in tandem with Schuman, Lichtenstein, Claman & Efron.

The project used a Design Assist process to explore the client’s design and find ways to reduce costs in the field. This process led to a reduction in field time by creating the parts using ZEPPS, the Zahner method of fabricating and installing complex forms. Assemblies are engineered in pre-fabricated sections, resulting in more efficient field installation and lowered cost for the client.

ZEPPS was used to translate the architect’s design into shippable parts. Zahner engineers methodically planned each shipment to ensure optimization. Like pieces in a puzzle, Zahner engineers fit each crate to maximize the allowed space in each semi-truck load. Similarly, installation was methodically pre-planned using the digital model. The massive panel assemblies were lifted into place and secured to the primary structure using a small number of cold-connections.