HSS Pediatric Rehabilitation Center

Formerly the home of the Epiphany Community Nursery School, 510 E 74th St was originally a wrought iron workshop designed and built by C.E. Miller in 1930. Almost one hundred years later, HSS, the Hospital for Special Surgery acquired the building, deciding to convert it into a Pediatric Rehabilitation Center with the intention to create a new, distinguishable destination for young patients. In doing so, the updated design aims to elicit a feeling of delight upon arrival, transmitting a story of movement, performance, and progress through various elements of design.

The new façade replaces the old with a double-skin façade system, consisting of a solid glass brick layer on the exterior, and a clear glass curtain wall system on the interior. The existing floor slabs were kept intact, while the fourth-floor setback has been transformed into an outdoor greenspace directly adjacent to the building program’s recreational area.

Through this new design, the exterior layer of glass bricks obscures the public’s view directly into the interior while maximizing the amount of light transmitted through the curtain wall system on the inside. Thus, establishing a healthy feeling of welcome, transparency and openness, while maintaining a sense of needed privacy for the medical center. In doing so, the different elements of design maximize both the exterior street level as well as the interior functions, creating a simultaneously heightened experience for all users.