As City Hall proposes Javits Center for temporary health facility, convention center's expansion is well underway; See new photos

By Michelle Mazzarella | From Future New York Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Rendering via Lendlease

Under normal circumstances, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (“Javits Center”) would be flush from the success of the New York International Auto Show and gearing up for Book Expo at this time of year. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, event programming is suspended and City Hall has asked New York State for permission to use the Javits Center as a potential medical surge facility.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Stephen Levin suggested the Javits Center as a health facility site to quarantine and isolate coronavirus victims. China transformed similar facilities into makeshift hospitals and quarantine centers, and the idea is consistent with a recent op-ed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, asking for help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in converting existing arenas and facilities into temporary medical centers. A spokesperson from Madison Square Garden, which has also ceased holding events, says the venue is also prepared to step up to the plate if needed.

“If we don’t halt transmission within a week...the hospital system will start to get overwhelmed largely all at the same time” - New York City Council Member Stephen Levin

The request comes at a time when the Javits Center was well on track to meet the estimated completion date of 2021 for its 1.2 million-square-foot expansion. The ground-breaking took place in March 2017; when Governor Cuomo hosted a press conference from the roof at the end of 2019, the steel and concrete superstructure was fully in place, and the foundation work adjacent to the Lincoln Tunnel was complete. The final phase of non-structural concrete and steel work was underway, and a bird-friendlier facade was also on the way up.

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The expansion is being built through a collaboration between Lendlease and Turner Construction, and convention center experts tvsdesign, Moody Nolan, and WXY Studio are in charge of the design. Upon completion, 90,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space will combine with current exhibit space to create a contiguous, 500,000-square-foot exhibition hall. A 55,000-square-foot ballroom will be the largest of its kind in the New York region. A four-level garage will bring 27 new loading docks to move event-related trucks off public streets, increase the efficiency of setting up and dismantling events, and thus allow for 20 more days for new events.

The roof of the Javits Center will be home to New York’s largest solar panel installation, which will surely help in its aspirations for LEED Silver certification. However, this does not come at the expense of a green roof terrace and pavilion that will accommodate up to 1,500 people for outdoor events, and a new one-acre rooftop farm will grow 40,000 pounds of produce annually, which will be incorporated into meals served at the venue. This comes on the heels of the honeybee hives installed in 2017; since then, honey has been harvested from there and incorporated into a salad dressing at the new Taste NY Bistro.