R&R Scaffolding has provided the facade maintenance systems for both phases of the Javits Center.
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, also known as the Javits Center is a massive convention center on the West side of Manhattan with 3.3 million square feet of interior space. In 2011 R&R Scaffolding was selected to design, manufacture, and install a total of twelve (12) motorized rolling gantries on top of the large glass portion of the building at the main entrance. A specialized gantry, with a total length of more than one hundred feet, was made for each separate roof to allow for cleaning and maintenance of the glass. Approximately 4,600 feet of round tube steel track was installed to allow for movement of the gantries about the roofs. One interchangeable davit with a 1,000 lb auxiliary hoist was provided for use in glass replacement.
In 2017, work began on a 1.2 million square foot expansion of the existing structure. R&R Scaffolding was selected again for the design, manufacture, and installation of the façade access equipment on the new expansion by General Contractor Lend Lease and Turner Construction. Level 6 houses a rolling gantry, set atop a pair of 100-foot-long I-beam tracks, which is used above the glass roof section of the building. The sixth and eighth floors both contain two separate davit systems, a traditional davit system, and a monorail system, suspended from davits. There is over 1,000 feet of monorail track on level 8 alone, with an additional 150 feet of track on level 6. In total, there are sixty-two davits and five self-powered platforms currently being used for window washing and maintenance of the façades on the Javits Center expansion.
Completed in May 2021, the $1.55 billion Javits Center Expansion brings a massive 3.3 million square feet of total event related space to Manhattan’s resurgent West Side. And the 16,200 square foot Rooftop Pavilion will accommodate up to 1,500 guests. It was completed on budget despite the challenges related to COVID-19. The economic activity generated 4,000 full time jobs; 2,000 part time jobs; 3,100 construction jobs; 200,000 more hotel room nights a year; and $393 million in new economic activity a year.