99 Hudson Street towers at a height of 274 metres, making it the tallest building in Jersey City and the state of New Jersey. The 79-storey skyscraper was erected between 2016 and 2020 and was built by China Overseas America, Inc., the US branch of COHL, whose headquarters are located in Hong Kong. The skyscraper contains 781 residential units on an area of 137,000 square metres, many of which are already occupied. Its location on the western side of the Hudson River provides a panoramic view of Manhattan, including the Statue of Liberty, the One World Trade Center and George Washington Bridge. In addition to apartments, the building offers 1,400 square metres of commercial space and a 1,300 square metre area that is accessible by the public. “99 Hudson Street has breathed new life into the increasingly popular area”, says Alexander Kaluzhny, Project Architect at Perkins Eastman, the architecture firm commissioned with the project. “The building’s timeless and elegant look is an important aspect of this, which opens up to its surroundings with oversized glass elements and is truly eye-catching due to its upscale limestone cladding”.
In addition to its high optical requirements, the 25,000-square-metre façade presented additional challenges to those involved in the structure’s planning and implementation. “Extreme wind loads affect the skyscraper, which is among the tallest residential buildings in the US. Then there were the large-sized and heavy natural stone panels”, says Jan Zimmermann, Head of Market Management Facade Systems of the fischer SystemTec GmbH. “Our undercut technology fastenings were perfectly suited for these challenges. A custom fastening solution developed especially for this project allowed the façade panels to be securely installed. The whole process went particularly smoothly, from the idea and planning stage through to the static calculations and implementation, thanks to the close cooperation with the natural stone supplier and the façade builder as well as our trade partner in the US”.
The fischer Zykon panel anchor FZP II was chosen in the 13x30 M8/SO/13 AL variant, of which around 110,000 units were used. These anchors provide a form-fit fastening without expansion pressure and are concealed when viewed from the building’s exterior. “We are pleased that the clients recognized the advantages of the fischer undercut anchors and that we were able to support the entire installation process from start to finish”, says Louisa Tett, owner of PROBE Rainscreen Façade Systems, the FZP II anchor supplier in the US. Unlike edge fastenings, undercut technology is suitable for an element façade and for prefabrication. The façade elements were equipped with undercut drill holes in the Bavarian factories of the natural stone supplier JMS Jura Marble Suppliers. “We produced over 20.000 m² of Jura limestone panels in a short amount of time, each having between four and eight anchor holes as well as various other labor items”, says Magdalena Schönwetter, says Magdalena Schönwetter, then deputy managing director of the natural stone supplier JMS and today market manager for facade systems at fischer System-Tec GmbH. “fischer assisted us with their technical support throughout every project phase, both in Germany as well as at the project site in the US”. The entire façade modules were subsequently joined together along with the anchors and natural stone by the façade construction company Gamma in Miami, before being delivered to the building site in Jersey City.
The result is a skyscraper with long-term secure fastenings and a distinguished look, as 99 Hudson Street has upgraded New Jersey’s cityscape and further improved the quality of living in the neighbourhood.
