PNA used finite-element analysis to reduce the free-form shapes to single curves. Gehry refined the shapes, based on PNA rules, so that more than 90% of the surface has a single curvature. This was accomplished by slight segmentation at the panel joints, says Budd. �We did the work zone by zone and face by face,� says Budd. �It was an iterative process,� adds Bowers. The contract-document phase began in January 2007. Gehry developed the surfaces and the wire frame for the curtain-wall units in collaboration with PNA. The performance mock-up was completed and tested in early 2008. PNA signed its
The ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York raised $140,000 towards 67 scholarship awards for graduates of the 2009-2010 program at its 15th annual luncheon. An additional $63,000 came from other sources including the Manhattan College-Dr. Charles H. Thornton Award in the amount of $56,000 and the Contractors Association of Greater New York-John A. Cavanagh Award in the amount of $6,000 which requires a separate application but is still designated exclusively to ACE students. Photo courtesy of Ace Mentor Program of Greater New York Pictured from left: Scholarship recipients, Hector Santacruz, Olivia Sell, Bonnie Tran, Denise Lleshi; Denise Berger, AIA;
EMCOR Group chairman and CEO Frank MacInnis says he will retire after 16 years at the helm of one of the United States’ largest mechanical and electrical subcontractors. MACINNIS Under the leadership of the 63-year-old MacInnis, EMCOR, which has several times been listed as the Number One Specialty Contractor in New York Construction’s annual Top Contractor rankings, has grown from a group of specialty contracting subsidiary companies with revenue in 1994 of $1.8 billion to a Fortune 500 firm with 2009 revenues of over $5.5 billion. MacInnis is expected to continue serving as non-executive Chairman of EMCOR’s Board of Directors
Construction on a new $60 million commercial bioscience center (BioBAT) at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is scheduled to begin later this year through a partnership between the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. The 486,000-sq- ft BioBAt project is expected to create more than 1,000 permanent jobs. Rendering courtesy of NYCEDC BioBAT is being designed by HOK of St. Louis, Mo. with construction on the first 56,000 sq ft of space scheduled to begin this year and completion expected in 2011. Upon completion of build-out, BioBAT
The Dietze Construction Group, a building contractor in the Washington, D.C. area, filed May 18 for protection from its creditors in U.S. bankruptcy court in Virginia. The company had planned to sell itself to Suffolk Construction Co., a much bigger Boston-based contractor, but the announced deal apparently had never been completed. Based in Ashburn, Va., Dietze listed numerous creditors and several million dollars in unpaid debt. The creditors included concrete, electrical and mechanical subcontractors or suppliers. Dietze had 2009 revenue of about $150 million while Suffolk’s revenue for the year was about $1.7 billion. Suffolk’s revenue was boosted by the
Construction safety, including safety of crane operations, is a priority for David Michaels, the chief of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Michaels, who became assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health last December, signed a voluntary agreement on May 17 with the National Center for Construction Education and Research, for crane-operator certification--the fourth such program to receive formal OSHA recognition since 1999. Before moving to the top OSHA post, Michaels was professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University¹s School of Public Health and Health Services. Earlier, he was the Dept. of Energy's assistant
The Environmental Protection Agency on May 12 released a strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay that includes developing a tough, new total maximum daily load (TMDL) for pollutants. EPA says the TMDL, with a Dec. 31 deadline, will be the most complex ever, affecting 483 large treatment plants and thousands of smaller facilities. The plan requires federal agencies to set milestones every two years to ensure measurable environmental goals are met. On May 11, EPA announced a settlement of a 2009 lawsuit filed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The agreement sets dates by which EPA must take certain actions, such
The re-development of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is receiving a boost from a federal program designed to raise capital for economic development projects in high unemployment areas. The New York City Regional Center has so far raised $60 million in an investment that will create 1,200 new jobs at the city-owned industrial park from 120 investors from China, Korea, Venezuela, Mexico and Argentina seeking to secure U.S. residency. The loan will allow the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Company to proceed with the $30 million Green Manufacturing Center, a 220,000-sq-ft, LEED Silver certified building. Construction will begin in June and is
Two men accused of defrauding the New York City Department of Buildings through bribes and falsifying crane inspection documents pleaded guilty to all charges this week. Michael Sackaris, of Saint James, N.Y. pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and Michael Pascalli, of Bethpage, N.Y. pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of offering false installment for filing, in connection with the bribing of the DOB’s chief crane inspector, James Delayo. “Taking bribes in situations where safety is at risk in unacceptable, as is corruption at any level of government,” said District Attorney Vance. According to court documents, Sackaris, 50, was the
In an effort to stimulate the construction industry and create work opportunities for local contractors and construction workers, some of New Jersey’s construction unions along with their managerial bargaining partners have agreed to a freeze in wage and benefit packages. Members of the statewide associations of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and the Laborer’s International Union of North America, along with Ironworkers Local 68, 350 & 399, and Dockbuilders Local 1456 have re-opened their respective contracts in order to help lower labor costs and kick-start building construction statewide. The unions, which represent
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