KENNETT SQUARE, PA. – High-performance metal plate exterior façade system manufacturer Metalwërks has installed customized cladding at New York City’s iconic Grand Central Station.

Expansion of the station is managed by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and includes eight tracks and four platforms in a two-level station sitting 100 feet below ground. The expansion will provide commuters with access to the Long Island Rail Road and connect the 2nd Avenue line of the MTA subway system to Metro North and Penn Station.

“We were presented with a unique set of circumstances with the Grand Central project, one that required strong collaboration and meticulous attention to detail,” said Metalwërks director of business development Steve Scharr in a statement.

“The Metalwërks solution delivers a clean esthetic to the interior of the station while protecting the surface from wear and tear in the high-traffic tunnels. We especially appreciated the confidence Jobin had in the Metalwërks’ proposition to co-develop installation-friendly designs. We were proud to be involved in the very early stages of this process and to arrive at a solution that will stand the test of time for such an important landmark,” he said.

Metalwërks worked in partnership with the Jobin Organization, a roofing, waterproofing and building envelope business based in Hauppauge, N.Y. to develop a support and panel attachment system which sits three inches from the face of the tunnel to keep system depth low in a tight space.

Aluminum panels for the tunnel wall cladding are used as an architectural screen wall covering concrete surfaces on curved walls and utilize a custom aluminum extruded post for attachment mounted with custom clips. Metalwërks provided 123,500 square feet of flat and curved aluminum assemblies lining 4,600 linear feet of tunnel walls and 73,000 square feet of stainless-steel cladding in elevator, escalator and stair enclosures, smoke and exhaust shafts and connecting concourses.

The surface cladding is white, graffiti-resistant polyvinylidene flouride-coated aluminum which utilizes both perforated and solid panels to ensure long-lasting esthetics for the tunnels and optimal performance.

The Grand Central expansion plan is based on a 1950 transit plan that received funding in 2006. Tunnel boring connecting Manhattan and Queens began in 2007 followed by tunnel and track construction. The new terminal is scheduled to open in 2022.

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