Mike Zaborski Speaks on Cast Connex Webinar About the Structure Behind PENN 2

On November 20, 2024, Mike Zaborski, Principal, participated as a panelist in a webinar series hosted by Cast Connex called Evolution of Structures: Steel Castings in the Eye of the Design Team. His presentation, titled PENN 2: Creating a Future Destination, was co-hosted by Matt Peitz, Principal at Severud Associates.

Mike and Matt described the design and engineering process behind the renovation and expansion of PENN 2, a 1960s office building positioned directly above the largest public transportation hub in the Western hemisphere: Penn Station. The addition to the building, dubbed The Bustle, is perched nearly 50 feet above the ground and supported by sloping columns that rest upon the original station’s foundations. The top and bottom Cast Connex pin connectors of these columns are celebrated as a beautiful architectural element of the project, connecting to custom formed gusset plates that elegantly engage with the plaza below and the LED ceiling above. The double height, free-spanning floors of The Bustle are also supported by chevron bracing HSS columns with Cast Connex pin connectors. The column-free space within is unlike anything else in New York City, spanning 430 feet long by 75 feet wide by 25 feet high.

Mike and Matt also discussed major design elements such as the new triple height, glass fin lobby and the over-cladding of the existing building’s façade with a new high-performance curtain wall. Ultimately, the strategic repositioning of the building has created a new building without demolishing the existing structure.