Analysis, Design and Documentation of a Form-Found Civic Sculpture for Lower Manhattan

Zak is a Structural Engineer in the New York office with particular expertise in high performance structures. He provides senior structural design services on international tall building projects. Zak is also an adjunct professor of architecture in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, where he provides a focus on structurally expressive architecture.

This paper presents an overview of the artistic and functional objectives of an 8-storey cable net sculpture for a new transit center in Lower Manhattan, and describes in detail the design approach of the project team, including software integration, nonlinear analysis, geometric modeling, documentation and construction administration. It outlines a hybrid documentation approach involving elements of both prescriptive and performance-based design for a system with strong aesthetic objectives and a collaborative approach to construction administration to manage risk amongst the various stakeholders