New York, NY
Dia Chelsea, 537 W 22nd Street
Scope/Solutions
Founded in New York City in 1974 to help artists showcase their work, Dia Art Foundation (Dia) has a history of adapting existing structures to create its sites. The Dia Chelsea project unifies three buildings already owned by Dia to create a permanent site at 537 W 22nd Street. SGH consulted on the building enclosure design for the gallery spaces renovated to include humidification for art preservation.
SGH assisted with the design of building enclosure renovations, including:
- Constructing new brick masonry veneer walls with concrete masonry backup
- Adding insulation to existing exterior mass masonry walls
- Removing and replacing existing roofing systems, skylights, and parapet walls
Highlights of our work include:
- Reviewing the proposed building enclosure design and recommending ways to improve performance
- Helping develop details for the new systems and to integrate abutting systems
- Evaluating moisture migration through walls and between spaces
- Using computer simulation models to assess the thermal performance and condensation resistance of the proposed window systems, exterior wall assemblies, and interior walls around humidified spaces
Project Summary
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Building Enclosures
Markets
Culture & Entertainment
Client(s)
Architecture Research Office
Specialized Capabilities
Building Science | Condition Assessments | Roofing & Waterproofing
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
The Cooper Gallery
SGH was the structural engineer, developed and physically-tested a custom timber moment-resisting connection, and consulted on the building enclosure.
Northeast
Tubular Bells at Lafayette Square
As part of this project, Adam Simha, a Cambridge-based artist and metalsmith, designed Tubular Bells to give visitors an opportunity to play music in Lafayette Square. SGH consulted on the structural design for the bells’ support structures.



