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Photo by Matthew Hanlon, New York City.

Traveling In Style

The Whitehall Ferry Terminal in New York City gets a new look and upgrades services for travelers.

By Anne Vazquez

Infrastructure is a crucial aspect of any successful city, and New York is a prime example of a location that requires state of the art transportation facilities. Every day, thousands of people travel throughout the city’s five boroughs using mass transit. Some go by train, others use the subways, and still more ride the ferry system. With the recent opening of two new Staten Island Ferry terminals and additions to the fleet, it is fair to say that those traveling on the boats are experiencing the best the city has to offer these days.

One of these new facilities, the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan, opened in February 2005 after employees and passengers relied on an interim building for more than a decade. Marking a new era in the city’s transportation system, aesthetics and sustainability joined security and safety as important aspects of the project.

John Giaccio, Associate Deputy Commissioner of Security and Facilities Management for the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), calls the new facility “a refreshing experience” compared to the previous terminal. Having been built in 1954, that terminal did not have many windows or amenities. (The original terminal was constructed much earlier, in 1907.) So, when a fire damaged the facility in 1991, the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) set out to improve the terminal.

The entry hall of the new facility, measuring 75' high, is one example of the focus on aesthetics. Enclosed in a glass façade, the 19,000 square foot waiting room makes visible panoramic views of the harbor and downtown Manhattan.

“Waterfront viewing and public access were among the main goals,” explains Giaccio. “9/11 changed some of that thinking, and security was a tremendous factor in this project. However, the team worked to stay true to the original aims.”

Open Minds For A Design

Before coming to a final decision on the design in 1999, the city looked at many possibilities for the new terminal. After the fire in 1991, EDC and DOT announced it would sponsor an international design competition as the vehicle for selecting an architectural firm. In addition to EDC and DOT, agencies that weighed in on the submissions included the New York City Departments of Environmental Protection, City Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. The Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee, the Staten Island Borough Board, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were also among those involved.

Approaching the terminal from the water, ferry riders can view the solar photovoltaic array on the rooftop viewing deck. The 40 kilowatt system can produce 52,00 kilowatt hours of energy annually. Photo by Matthew Hanlon, New York City.

Between 1992 and 1999, there were several designs chosen as the winners for the project. However, these plans were not brought to fruition for a variety of reasons. Along the way, though, some notable ideas were considered.

The 1992 design, for instance, featured a giant clock located on the harbor side of the terminal. Designed by the firms of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates and Anderson/Schwartz Architects, both of New York City, the 120' wide clock—actually an electronic depiction—was intended to give the relatively modestly sized terminal a significant presence against the backdrop of the city skyline.

On the practical side, passengers on the boats would have been able to see the time as they approached land. Though chosen in 1994, the design was ultimately rejected by the city.

The second winning design was submitted in 1994, which also took into account a reduced budget from the city. Produced by Whitehall Architectural Design—the New York office of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Anderson/Schwartz Architects, and TAMS Consultants, this program introduced sustainability to the project. An angled roof above the terminal’s entry hall integrated an array of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels across the entire roof.

In the end, the design that won the competition was produced by the Ronald Evitts Architect and Schwartz Architects (the successor to Anderson/Schwartz Architects) firms. An earlier feature, a glass façade located on the harbor side, was not present in this design. However, the glass curtainwall surrounding the terminal’s entry hall and allowing for natural light to enter the interior did remain.

Sustainability Enters The Picture

The sustainable aspect introduced to the project in 1994 was widened in the final design to include other strategies. Though the solar energy system was scaled down from the previous level to a 40 kilowatt system, it was given the prominent position on a rooftop viewing deck. There, the PV panels would also serve as a canopy to shade people observing from the vantage point.

The sign on the street side entrance of the ferry terminal is visible both night and day. Behind the sign, the glass curtainwall lets natural light enter the waiting room area inside. Photo by Matthew Hanlon, New York City.

Giaccio adds that DOT is considering giving the public a deeper view into its use of solar energy by placing a kiosk in the waiting room that will illustrate in real time how the system is working.

“Efficiency was the driver behind the decision to incorporate renewable energy,” explains Giaccio. “As a public entity, we also want to lead by example, and we had the opportunity to do that with this project.”

Additionally, the waiting room area was designed to incorporate a radiant heat floor—warmed from below by water filled tanks—along with a highly efficient cooling system. During the heating months, the radiant floor could be an asset in keeping down costs, according to the facilities department.

This prediction was accurate. Says Giaccio, “The radiant heat warms the floor, and the stone material of the terrazzo floor holds the heat very well. As a result, we don’t have to operate the boilers as often, because the material stays warm for a long time.”

Other strategies approved by the city to save energy were daylight dimming controls, demand based ventilation through the use of carbon dioxide monitors, high performance glazing, efficient centrifugal chillers, 85% efficiency boilers, and hot water pumps with variable frequency drives. Many of these strategies were recommended by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which conducted energy analyses of the proposed designs.

Working with Steven Winter Associates, a firm based in Norwalk, CT, NYSERDA found that the recommendations would reduce the building’s energy use by 40%—compared to a design in compliance with the state’s 1991 energy code. As a result of implementing the energy efficiency strategies, Whitehall Ferry Terminal was deemed a high performance building by NYSERDA under its New Construction Green Building Performance program.

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