Scott Spector NY1 Interview on Choice Logistics Project

In Long Island City, Queens, one building that may look like a rundown, old warehouse on the outside is a state-of-the-art storage facility on the inside. When the tenant, Choice Logistics, found this space, the building was a decrepit mess. The company considered tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch, but instead put up a building within the building, finding it a more affordable way to design a space.

"Building a building inside of a building was best for us because we were able to build from scratch, get the the climate control we needed, get the floor-plate that we needed and lay it out in the way that we would work best for our needs," says Fran Iuzzini of Choice Logistics.

First, the exterior was cleaned and sealed for weatherproofing and then walls were put up within the structures existing walls.

"So we built out from the interior face of the outside wall this sheetrock tunnel, or a 'cave' if you will," says Scott Spector of Spector Group Architects. "Our ceilings were all two-by-two acoustical grid ceiling and above that we are sprinklered. We kept all of our steel structure and timber structure, because that was in good shape, and then we cosmetically cleaned up the whole facility."

Creating a space within a space also allowed the customized design to be energy-efficient.

"We were able to get six inches of insulation from the ground to the hung ceiling. Then putting in the ceiling kept the energy within the environment within this container and we insulated above that ceiling with six inches of insulation," says Anthony Rotondaro of Reniss Construction.

They say this reduced the energy bills by 30 to 40 percent.

The building is equipped with a state-of-the-art security system, but the old facade offers an extra layer of protection. It's so non-descript that no one would know there is such a high-tech facility inside.

Experts say building within buildings is the newest trend in real estate, and it is often more cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and time-saving.

Revamping the warehouse cost significantly less than new construction and it came to market in only three months. The concept was necessary because the warehouse was in bad shape, but in other cases it is a way to preserve a beautiful or well-constructed façade while bringing the interior up to the 21st century.

So the "box within a box" solution can give people a new way to think outside the box when it comes to real estate.