PROJECT COST: $656 million
In a few years, after completing two phases and about $1.5 billion worth of construction, New York Policy Academy cadets will miss one major element of today's training experience - the nomadic commute to facilities scattered all over the city. The multi-year project will consolidate operations to one 35-acre campus in the College Point section of Queens.
The first phase - a $656 million effort constructing an eight-story academic building, a physical training facility, and a central utility plant - launched in December, and crews have been driving piles at the site, the former police department auto pound.
The fully built-out academy will be able to handle 2,000 recruits at once, as well as train civilians, active duty officers, and visiting police officers.
The current phase, slated for completion in 2013, is anchored by the academic and administrative support building, and will also have tactical gyms that simulate actual streetscapes for training purposes, a field house, running track, parking lot, and utility plant with chillers and boilers for the entire campus.
The campus is aiming for a LEED Silver rating based on the design by Perkins + Will and consulting architect Michael Fieldman. Its sustainable features include rainwater harvesting and reuse on site; biofiltration of storm water runoff; energy efficient lighting; green and "cool" roofs; a high-performance building envelope with solar shading and daylight harvesting, and an energy-efficient utility plant. The team is using Building Information Modeling technology on the project.
An early accomplishment was resizing the budget, says Dan Reddan, project manager for STV Construction, the joint venture construction manager with Turner Construction. The team reevaluated the current phase, originally scoped at $750 million, through value engineering. "The pricing is better than it might have been a few years ago, and we think we're going to hit a good market," he adds. "That's reflected in the $656 million contract."
After driving piles and demolishing a few structures on site, the main tasks this year include excavation, concrete foundations, and design documents. The team will begin steel erection in early 2011, Reddan says.
This year's other big task is hiring subcontractors, with the curtain wall award set for August, steel in September, and superstructure concrete in the fall. Most mechanical equipment will be prepurchased ahead of the mechanical subcontractor award.
"We're flexible with interiors," Reddan adds. "It could be one or more contractors, but we do intend to make individual awards per building."
The project should save about $30 million under the $5.3 billion public contracts project labor agreement reached last year between the city and the Building and Construction Trades Council. The project will create about 2,000 construction jobs.
Key Players
Owner: City of New York/Department of Design and Construction/N.Y. Police Department
Architect: Perkins + Will, New York; Michael Fieldman, New York
Construction Manager: STV Construction, New York; Turner Construction, New York
Civil Engineer: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Elmwood Park, N.J.
Structural Engineer: Silman Associates, New York
Mechanical Engineer: WSP Flack + Kurtz, New York
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