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Showhouses in Grand Central go on
despite September 11th.
November/December
2001
Building Systems Magazine.
Despite the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,
two demonstration homes -- one of which was built with building-systems
technologies -- were open to the public in the heart of New York
City just days after the tragic events that paralyzed the nation.
Country Home magazine organized and built the
two show homes, set for the first time at the very crossroads of
urban and suburban living at the nation's busiest train station,
Grand Central Terminal. Originally scheduled to be open to the public
for three weeks beginning Sept. 10, the show homes were closed for
one week after the attacks.
"We were originally going to use the proceeds
from these homes to benefit Habitat for Humanity. But in light of
the attacks against New York and Washington, we've altered that.
All proceeds will now benefit the New York City Fire & Police
Widows and Orphans Fund," says Lindsey von Busch, a publicist
for Country Home magazine, a Meredith publication.
The show homes in the train station's Vanderbilt Hall on East 42nd
Street feature two distinct styles. On one side of the grand space
is a fully furnished and decorated Country Cottage, a 1,200-sq.ft.
timber frame with an envelope of SIPs, provided by Riverbend Timber
Framing and Great Lakes Insulspan (Blissfield, MI). On the other
side of Vanderbilt Hall is a conventionally constructed penthouse
apartment with a contemporary architectural design.
Thanks to the energy efficiencies of SIPs, the Country Cottage will
cost less than $300 a year to heat and cool, even with its great
room and vaulted ceiling. The SIP performance advantage would save
the owners more than 50% in energy costs when compared to a comparable
stick frame home, say organizers behind the event. After the timber
frame was precut to exacting dimensions at Riverbend's facility,
it was raised in Vanderbilt Hall, by hand, with the help of volunteers
from Habitat for Humanity. While timber frames are typically raised
with cranes, the Hall's dimensions and human traffic precluded that
for safety reasons. For the same reason, the SIP package was precut
as well, with all door and window cut outs and electrical chases
performed at the factory by a CNC machine. "Preassembly was
a must in order to anticipate any special construction needs once
we reached Grand Central," explains Mitchell Dennis, founder
and owner of DSA Builders, the contractor on the project. "The
panels were fabulous to work with. They came together fast and easy."
This marks the third time Insulspan has worked
with Country Home magazine on a show home. In 1996 and again in
1998, Insulspan helped create the magazine's show homes inside the
Mall of America in Minneapolis.
If you missed the show homes in person,
Country Home will feature them in a spring 2002 issue. As the centerpiece
for this feature, readers will find articles focusing on the building
process, interior design and the products and innovations that exemplify
the best and most inventive of building and design. Additionally,
the magazine's Web site, www.countryhome.com, features the floor
plans, construction photos and other information.
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