Unique Construction Approach
Supporting the growth of the NY Law School’s Worth Street campus, our firm constructed a new, 209,000sf flagship academic building—a major phase of NY Law’s expansion program. The facility consists of five stories above- and four levels below-grade, in an “L” shape.
After site mobilization and the demolition of an existing narrow building to the east, work on the foundation wall included pre-trenching and slurry wall installation ultimately created a waterproof concrete bathtub foundation. For 12-hours per day over a period of many months, three large cranes, as well as excavators, backhoes and trucks, danced around one another on this tiny site. The flurry of construction activity, including structural columns, load-bearing elements and over 65,000sf of foundation wall 100ft below the surface was impressive—but all of it out of sight.
Upon completion of the foundation, the team transitioned into the top-down phase, a method of construction whereby the erection of floors above and below-grade proceed simultaneously. First, the team poured the ground floor concrete slab, which provided massive rigidity and bracing. They instituted a controlled, 24-hour site de-watering program, sustaining desired water levels. The team then created two, temporary, large square voids near the center of the slab so that a crawler crane, affixed with a clamshell bucket, could remove earth from beneath the slab. The team poured concrete every 15ft, and continued to mine downward until they poured four concrete slabs, essentially “bottoming out” the project approximately 60 ft below ground.
Agency Coordination
The project is located within proximity of a subway line, requiring our project team to coordinate daily with the MTA in order to monitor the site for vibrations.
| Project of the Year, Higher Education/Research and Project Management of the Year Best of Awards New York Construction Magazine |
