En-Fold® Provides All-Weather Solution at New Pier 17 Restaurant
Niche cocktail bar and hangout protected with canopy system
MINNEAPOLIS, MN…Pier 17 is a massive 300,000 square foot building at the waterfront along the East River in New York City. Encompassing retail, entertainment, architectural features, and seasonal attractions, the area is intended to further the transformation of the Seaport district into a true destination.
The new cocktail bar, R17, is located on the building’s rooftop and it offers patrons an elegant, locally-oriented hangout with dramatic views of downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. To ensure its all-weather use, modular construction firm, Nussli, sourced, selected, and installed an En-Fold® retractable canopy.
“The En-Fold system was the only retractable awning able to satisfy two important requirements: It provided the level of weather protection our client desired, and it was large enough to cover the entire patio with only one system, thereby blending aesthetics and functionality in a way ideally suited to this project,” says Justin Smith, Director of Project Development for Nussli.
Uni-Systems, LLC, the globally-recognized leader in the design, engineering, manufacture, and installation of large-scale kinetic architectural systems, developed two independently-operable En-Fold retractable canopy system units over the conjoined two-tier terrace: One unit closer to the city side with 869 square feet of coverage, and the other unit closer to the river with 1,274 square feet of coverage.
Both En-Fold units utilize highly engineered ePTFE fabric panels with 25+ years of life expectancy tensioned between fabric beams painted with RAL 9010 Pure White to match the décor. The fabric permits 40% light transmission — suitable for focusing on tabletop activities while still blocking more than 85% of ambient UV rays.
“Everyone was very pleased with the final look and feel of the system,” Smith says. “When fully extended, it is super taut and has an attractive, sleek quality, which enhances the space.”
The total plan area covered by the En-Fold system was 2,143 square feet, and the project was completed in June 2019.
For more information about En-Fold systems, visit: www.en-fold.com.
About Uni-Systems:
Uni-Systems is recognized as the leading designer and advocate of kinetic architecture, creating transformative, mechanized structures that change with climate, need or purpose. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Uni-Systems earned its reputation as a world-class leader in motion technology by profitably completing more than 120 projects for the military, aircraft, and entertainment industries over the last fifty years. For more information, visit: www.uni-systems.com
About Uni-Systems:
Uni-Systems is recognized as the leading designer and advocate of kinetic architecture, creating transformative, mechanized structures that change with climate, need or purpose. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Uni-Systems earned its reputation as a world-class leader in motion technology by profitably completing more than 120 projects for the military, aircraft, and entertainment industries over the last fifty years. For more information, visit: www.uni-systems.com.