Southeast, NY

Design and development of two separate and distinct retail buildings, Building 3 and Building 4, for The Highlands, a major regional retail center in Southeast, NY. Building 3 is a two-story retail building with 85,000 sf of tenant space and an integral parking deck above its southern half. Building 4 is a separate single story retail building with 15,000 sf of tenant space. The municipality was concerned about the aesthetics of the buildings and the view of rooftop mechanical equipment from the adjacent road system. The architectural design of the buildings addressed these issues through a contemporary use of traditional materials including masonry, clapboard siding, and standing seam metal roofs. The use of sloped roofs and dormers acted to reduce the visual scale of the buildings and conceal all rooftop mechanical equipment. Precisely detailed louvers set in the dormers became important visual design elements while providing intake and exhaust air to the mechanical equipment.