PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS
INNOVATIVE RESTORATION
REPOSITIONING OF FORMER TIME & LIFE BUILDING SHOWS SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY TO MARKET SUCCESS
At 1271 Avenue of the Americas , Modernization and New Energy- Saving Facade Yield Fully Leased Tower
The launch of the television series Mad Men , set in the Time & Life Building in Midtown Manhattan , introduced the iconic 1959 tower to a new generation . But despite its growing fame , the aging tower struggled to compete in New York ’ s commercial real estate market : with an inefficient building envelope , outdated mechanical systems , and a timeworn lobby , it was no match for recently built , state-of-the-art towers . Then , in 2014 — as Mad Men entered its final season — the primary tenant announced it was relocating to a new building . That ’ s when owner-developer Rockefeller Group turned to the architecture firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners , with a vision for a transformational reinvention
The Pei Cobb Freed team made a thorough study of existing conditions , seeking to understand decades of alterations , and researched the original architects ’ intentions . Synthesizing this information with their knowledge of best practices in sustainability and workplace design , the team developed an innovative plan for restoration , improvement , and modernization .
The ensuing repositioning of the building — now known as 1271 Avenue of the Americas — brought it from vacant to 99 percent leased , even before construction was complete . This success speaks to the benefit of strategic interventions that preserve rather than demolish , serving not only building owners and users but the public and planet , while meeting the demands of the 21stcentury workforce .
Facade replacement was the most significant of the repositioning ’ s five interdependent components . A clever inversion of the
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