Time Warner Center – Columbus Circle
New York, New York
Connection Design, Constructability Review

The Time Warner Center is a mixed-use skyscraper consisting of two 750-foot towers bridged by a multi-story atrium containing upscale retail shops. Construction began in November 2000. It is the property with the highest-listed market value in New York City, $1.1 billion in 2006. Complex design presented a number of structural engineering challenges on this monumental structure.

Challenges:

The building's columns were designed with kinks. This caused large lateral forces to be transferred through the floor framing system. Due to the complexity of the structure, connection design was very difficult.

Solutions:

Working closely with ADF (a steel fabricator based in Montreal, Canada), Ruby performed additional layouts and analysis to develop an effective connection design. During this analysis, Ruby identified an issue with the lateral load path at the structural steel / concrete interface, which would impact the overall stability of the building. Ruby and the designer collaborated to create a solution to this design issue, and the project moved forward.