Case Study: Entrance to Luxury New York Condo Embellished With Custom Terra Cotta Rainscreen System

Words: Dan Kamys

Flashing and Drainage

Rainscreen System The Western Specialty Contractors Facades Division (Ridgefield, N.J.) has helped to transform the discreet entrance to one of Manhattan’s most luxurious condominium high-rise buildings into a functional work of art. Rainscreen SystemLocated at E22nd Street in the Flatiron District is the entrance to an award-winning, modern high-rise featuring some of Manhattan’s most luxurious condominiums (prices start at $10.5 million for a 3-bedroom apartment and $72 million for the penthouse). Its private entrance was made up of concrete columns and spandrels with large windows covering the majority of the south elevation. Its lobby often features commissioned artwork. Western Specialty Contractors was hired by Lend Lease Project Management and Construction to install a terra cotta rainscreen system on the entrance’s façade at a total cost of $1 million. Work began with a laser survey of the concrete structure. Boston Valley Terra Cotta would use the survey to custom-design a terra cotta façade for the building. Multiple trips were required by Western crews to Boston Valley’s manufacturing plant in Buffalo, N.Y., for dimension verification and revisions to the shop drawings to ensure that the system would fit a variety of conditions. Rainscreen SystemOnce the terra cotta rainscreen system design was finalized and its fabrication complete, Western crews began waterproofing/insulating the building’s entrance using a Sika Air-Vapor Barrier and Roxul mineral wood insulation, hung with aluminum pins. Western then installed the rainscreen metal girt and track support system to carry the terra cotta façade, then sealed the window mullions at the perimeters. The challenging work for Western began with installation of the decorative, vertical terra cotta fins, which were supported with a steel tube spine system outboard of the wall tiles, some of which spanned over windows from floor to floor to create a “floating fin” effect. The terra cotta tiles were then set on the support system at columns, spandrels, window returns, soffits, floating fins and the entrance return. The runs spanned from the sidewalk level to the top of the structure, which is approximately 65 feet tall. Lastly, Western crews installed colored aluminum sills to complete the system. Each terra cotta tile, which had a natural color finish, had to be meticulously installed by Western crews based on the architect’s specified color pattern. Multiple site visits with the architect were required to confirm the colors and final tile placement.
 0
MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Episode 24 Recap: Gary Hensley, VP of Sales at Oldcastle Adams
July 2025

On this episode of the MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Gary Hensley joins Justin in Indianapolis to talk about his story within the masonry industry, how he got started, how he's seen it evolve, and where he sees it going. Why the Masonry Industry? Concrete and

Read More
The Enduring Power of Structural Masonry
July 2025

Masonry has been holding its ground for millennia — literally. And thanks to the simple brilliance of arching action, it continues to do so with strength, style, and surprising efficiency. In an era of advanced modeling and fast-moving schedules, one time

Read More
Business Building: Do Project Manager / Estimator Combos Work?
July 2025

Steve owns SJP Contractors, a mid-size general contractor specializing in commercial projects. Over the last several years, his company has grown to over $16 million in annual sales, with an average project size of $500,000 to $1,500,000, employing 45 off

George Hedley
Business Building
Read More
Contractor Tip of the Month: Trust Is the Cornerstone
July 2025

If I can’t trust you, I can’t do business with you. I don’t care how talented you are. I don’t care how long we’ve worked together. I don’t care how many projects you’ve completed. If I can’t trust your word, then we don’t have anything to build on—figura

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More