Covenant House

New York, NY

Covenant House New York (CHNY) is a leader in providing residential services to vulnerable homeless, runaway, and exploited youth, serving over 1,900 young adult ages 16-24 annually. The Gotham Organization led the development of the 78,000 square foot state of the art facility located on 10th Avenue between West 40th and 41st Street in Hudson Yards as part of a purchase and development agreement. The new 12 story building has 160 beds for emergency shelter needs, a federally qualified health center, and space for counseling, education and job training as well as extensive landscaped exterior spaces. The new Covenant House facility is designed to the particular needs of their youths, allowing Covenant House to provide robust services and coordinated care, expanding the scope of their work and the number of young people they can serve.

    • Construction monitoring representing Covenant House International from Pre-Development through Post- Construction

    • Providing oversight of developers project management and offering suggestions on process based on Envoie’s experience

    • Project management services for furniture selection and procurement (state contract eligible)

    • Project management for signage design and procurement

    • Complex and large team for design, approvals and construction

    • Site originally had 3 buildings; 2 were demolished to make way for new building; prior to demolition Make Ready work required in one building to accommodate CHNY functions while new building constructed

    • Engaged when the project was in schematic design so in-depth knowledge was gained that benefited the project during the bid and construction phase

    • Participated in trade bid meetings which provided in-depth knowledge that was useful when GMP was being negotiated

    • Site has a high water table so footings and foundation construction required secant piles; water and old structures found during excavation

    • Careful oversight required of use of owners and developers contingencies (50/50 split); owner responsible for unforeseen conditions (which have been substantial even before the Pandemic costs) and owner scope changes

    • Owner - Covenant House

    • Architect - FXCollaborative

    • Landscape Architect - Starr Whitehouse

    • Builder - Monadnock Construction

    • Photography - Chris Cooper

“The design of the new building balances the dualities at the core of Covenant House’s mission: to be open and welcoming, yet safe and secure...to celebrate community and never forget the individual; to stand out yet blend in; and to serve a specific purpose yet be flexible enough to allow for change.”

- Heidi Blau, FAIA
Partner, FXCollaborative

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