SM&W Contribution
25 Water Street is the nation’s largest office-to-residential conversion. As part of the major transformation from a former office tower into a modern residential high-rise, the Shen Milsom & Wilke (SM&W) team was engaged to provide physical security, audiovisual systems, and telecommunications infrastructure. The conversion presented unique challenges associated with adapting a legacy commercial structure to support a high-density residential program. SM&W’s design scope focused on ensuring that the new infrastructure met the functional, operational, and security needs of the building’s future residents while maintaining flexibility for long-term scalability.
SM&W developed a layered physical security system tailored to the demands of a multi-use, multi-tenant residential environment. This included secure access control for building entry points, amenity areas, and residential unit employing the use of a wireless electronic locking system as well as a comprehensive video surveillance system.
SM&W’s AV design scope supported amenity spaces including fitness centers, lounges, and conference areas. SM&W delivered integrated solutions for distributed audio, digital signage, and presentation systems, as well as flexible AV systems that enhance tenant experience and management operations. SM&W designed the complete telecom backbone for the building, supporting both resident ISP service and internal building operations. Our work included telecommunications room layouts, riser/backbone cabling pathways, and horizontal distribution to apartment units and building systems. Designs followed current BICSI standards and accounted for future-proofing capacity and ISP diversity.