![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20200622_TheSummit@Danbury-7439.jpg\")
The building was arranged so that elevated work areas had unobstructed views of sylvan tranquility. COURTESY SUMMIT DEVELOPMENT<\/p>\nSome elements had been defaced by prior owners (paint had to be pressure-washed off granite exterior walls) but a largely intact design shines through decades of neglect. Deferred maintenance was considerable, to the tune of thirty thousand lightbulbs and extensive mechanical overhauls. Tile, marble, glass, and stainless-steel elements just required a cleaning.<\/p>\n
Since requirements and expectations for multitenant spaces in 2021 are quite different from single corporations in the 1980s, tweaks have been necessary. Charney observes, \u201cthey brought everybody into the building in this dark parking garage. We put a new road in that allowed us to create a new [entrance].\u201d The road runs between the west wing and the garage, lined with ample lighting and is far more welcoming than taking an eerie ramp into a vast garage.<\/p>\n
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The building was arranged so that elevated work areas had unobstructed views of sylvan tranquility. COURTESY SUMMIT DEVELOPMENT<\/p>\n
Union Carbide was organized as a series of autonomous pods. One had to know where they were going or they probably wouldn\u2019t get there. The renovation aims to open the complex in a variety of ways. The lobby has been rendered more transparent by eliminating walls that once concealed stairs. Some of the translucent Kalwall panels lining all the garage-facing corridors have been removed to provide additional light and visibility. For a complex that was previously notable for its opacity, wayfinding is also a priority.<\/p>\n
The building\u2019s layout is, in ways, highly adaptable. At the time, the original configuration of individual offices\u2014a capacious thirteen by thirteen feet\u2014was revolutionary but askew of today\u2019s workstyles. Most internal walls have been removed in office suites, with the \u201cpods\u201d still offering prime forest views.<\/p>\n
One unusual feature is its ceiling height: a diminutive eight feet in its exterior offices and lower along corridors. Mechanicals run in the ceiling under the lower office corridors and HVAC and other elements beneath windows. Windows occupy a full six feet of the space though, allaying any feeling of compression. While the windows weren\u2019t previously operable, they can now open.<\/p>\n
This squat configuration posed greater challenges for residential conversions, which required clustering Wetwalls and risers along interior walls, enabling the preservation of the full ceiling height in exterior rooms.<\/p>\n
![\"Skylit](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20200622_TheSummit@Danbury-7722.jpg\")
Massive interior conference spaces were built for the corporate culture of the 1980s. Today they are finding use as event and rental space. COURTESY SUMMIT DEVELOPMENT <\/p>\n
Residential development is being done pod by pod, with an aim of 180 eventual units. A local school, the Danbury Career Academy, will fill over three pods. A Godard School is already operating, as well as a gym caf\u00e9, salon, yoga studio, and barbershop. There are hopes for additional recreational features. Charney noted that these are private operators, attracted by a burgeoning mixed-use community. \u201cBecause of our size we\u2019re able to bring a higher level of amenitization to the building.\u201d He called the building \u201ca shining example of the benefits of collaborative development.\u201d The building\u2019s extravagantly-skylit conference spaces are still used for a variety of rental events.<\/p>\n
Overall. the renovation updates a tired facility while showcasing the excellent bones of Roche\u2019s design. What remains unclear are the plans for the building\u2019s postmodern gem of a cafeteria, whose stainless-steel stepped ceiling and gelato-pastel marbles remain intact and dazzling, in one of the finest examples of Roche\u2019s Art Deco-meets-Crystal Palace-Alice-in-Corporate-Wonderland phase of the eighties. Reflective surfaces were one element of Roche\u2019s dual strategy to create implied space. Gary Leonard, who worked on Union Carbide\u2019s construction as an associate noted that \u201cthe cafeteria has been somewhat decimated\u201d by the prior owners. The stainless steel and marble remain as fragments of Roche\u2019s original aim to \u201cbring a bit of glamor and real contrast to the work environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20200622_TheSummit@Danbury-7788.jpg\")
Elevated walkways connect pods to one another. COURTESY SUMMIT DEVELOPMENT<\/p>\n
Roche\u2019s Ambassador Grill in New York, which boasts a very similar aesthetic, was landmarked in 2017. The operator of the dining area did not respond to requests for comment, but one can hope this space prompts similar appreciation.<\/p>\n