St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Commissioned to conserve and seamlessly upgrade a cherished landmark, MBB Architects led a 10-year, $175-million renewal effort culminating in an award-winning restoration and sustainable infrastructure improvements across an entire city block.

MBB’s comprehensive project scope included preservation of exterior and interior surfaces-marble, slate, metalwork, ornamental plasterwork, decorative woodwork, cast stone, and stained glass—as well as the installation of new glass doors at the Fifth Avenue entrance and an interior glass facade screening the Lady Chapel. Following a 3D scan, new structural glass panels were fitted within the interior masonry arched opening of the Lady Chapel, providing acoustic isolation without altering the historic masonry. The double leaf glass swing doors beneath the 23-foot-long, 8-ply glass beam are set slightly forward in order to preserve the chapel’s original mosaic floor.

Campus infrastructure was upgraded with a seamless insertion of sustainable systems, including a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system. Upgrades to the campus landscape accommodated new hidden infrastructure while creating new garden and terrace designs.

The entire project was conducted while the Cathedral remained open for daily masses, welcoming the five million visitors who pass through its doors annually.