By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Manhattanville Development

Tectonic provided special inspections and materials testing services for foundations of two new major construction projects at Columbia University’s Manhattanville Development, including the 450,000 SF Mind Brain Behavior and the 70,940 SF Central Energy Plan facilities. The projects utilized a top-down method of construction and include the construction of slurry walls, load bearing elements (LBEs) and floor slabs.

Tectonic provided technical and administrative services as the Professional Engineer for special and progress inspections, materials testing and documentation of work in accordance with the NYCDOB. Inspections include:

  • Inspection of Fabricators (Structural Steel and Concrete)
  • Soils Testing (Fill Placement & In-place Density, Investigations)
  • Excavation – Sheeting, Shoring & Bracing
  • Pile & Drilled Pier Foundations
  • Underpinning
  • Structural Steel
  • Concrete Construction (Concrete Design Mix, Slurry Wall & Load Bearing Element, Structural Floor Slabs & Foundations)
  • Sprayed Fire-Resistant Materials
  • Structural Safety
By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

NYC SCA On-Call Inspections & Testing

Tectonic is providing management, inspection and testing services to ensure compliance with construction plans, specifications and building code requirements for various schools across the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

Scope of work includes concrete, structural steel, asphalt, soils, masonry, curtain wall and mechanical inspections.  Certain assignments involve supervising the demolition of existing school buildings and construction of new buildings replete with classrooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, cafeterias, administration offices, cellars, etc.

Some major projects include:

Mott Haven Campus – This $149M campus is comprised of four schools on 8.7 acres, formerly the railyard property in the Bronx. The 275,000-square-foot multi-story facility was built to serve more than 2,200 high school and middle school students. The primary entrances are street level from Concourse Village West, which is 30 feet above the former railyard property, supported by a retaining wall. Playing fields and other open space at the railyard elevation cover the eastern portion of the campus.

BSSWA at Casita Maria – This new $49M 90,000 square foot, state-of-the-art educational and cultural facility will house both Casita Maria and the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists (BSSWA).

Intermediate School /High School 362 – This $60M educational complex accommodates two high schools, an intermediate school and a special education facility.  All uniquely located on a single site but designed to be independent of each other.  The two high schools and an intermediate school each accommodate 600 students, while the special education component accommodates 120 students.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Newburgh Enlarged Central School District

The City of Newburgh School District is an expanded district that encompasses two adjacent towns. As a result of the aged facility inventory and magnet school educational approach, the consolidation of some schools and the expansion of others to accommodate the student population have required significant infrastructure upgrades. Tectonic provided a variety of services for improvements at 10 different schools in the City of Newburgh, Newburgh, and Town of New Windsor.

Services performed in connection with two separate bond referenda included: value engineering, boundary/topographic surveys, geotechnical/pavement investigations, site plans for SED approval (involving idrainage, grading, roadways, circulation, safety, parking lots, sidewalks, retaining walls, potable water, irrigation, and sanitary sewer), athletic facilities (two NFHS polyurethane-bound rubber running tracks, softball, multi-purpose fields, tennis courts), and SPDES stormwater compliance.

At three schools, the condition/safety of the roadways and parking lots was dramatically improved through the reconfiguration and reconstruction of discrete bus loading areas, separated parent drop-off locations, and new access roadways.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Iona College Various Projects

Tectonic has been working with Iona College since 2001 providing engineering, environmental, and construction phase services on a variety of new-build and rehabilitation projects as part of Iona’s comprehensive strategic plan. Tectonic has provided geotechnical engineering (in addition to other services) on the following projects:

  • North Avenue Residence Hall – new 7-story, 310-bed residence hall with 7,000 square feet of commercial space for retail and restaurants on the ground floor.
  • Hagan Hall – addition of a new structure to existing Hagan School of Business building to triple the space available for students and faculty.
  • Hynes Athletic Center – 2 expansions/reconfigurations of the existing 2-story, 26,000 square foot athletic center to support more athletic teams and create indoor rowing tools for the crew team.
  • East Hall – new 3-story, 112-bed residence hall. This brick and steel frame modular residence hall was the first prefabricated building Tectonic had completed work on.
  • Ryan Library – building foundation support, steel erection of a new atrium entrance, renovations, and addition to the rear of the facility.
  • LaPenta Student Union – new 3-story building home to a bookstore, food court, media center, and various offices.
  • Conese Hall – new 6-story residence hall. Tectonic provided vibration monitoring services during rock excavation and pile driving activities.
  • South Hall – new 6-story residence hall.
  • Improvements on various parking lots and the Mazzella field.

Geotechnical Services included the performance of subsurface investigations, laboratory soil testings, engineering analyses, and preparation of reports. Due to the highly variable subsurface conditions at the sites, including and underground river, and deep/shallow foundations, Tectonic designed an extensive waterproofing and dewatering system for the building structures.

By TECTONIC 0 Comments

Long Beach City Schools

The Long Beach City School District planned capital improvements at three different schools within the district under a $29M expansion and renovation project. The three schools, located on a barrier island off the south shore of Long Island, included the 380,820-sq-ft Long Beach High School, East Elementary School, and the Lido Complex (a combined elementary school and middle school building). Improvements ranged from an elevator addition to building and classroom additions providing latest technology, a more efficient learning center and a firm foundation.

Pre-Hurricane Sandy expansion and renovation, Tectonic was retained to conduct a supplemental investigation and evaluation of the subsurface conditions at each site. The investigation included Seismic Cone Penetrometer Testing (SCPT) to evaluate the in-situ shear-wave velocity profile of the sites. A geotechnical report was prepared with specific design recommendations for each site that included auger cast piles and micropiles. Following Hurricane Sandy, Tectonic performed test pit and test boring investigations to determine the extent of foundation damage that was present at each site.

Pre-Hurricane Sandy expansion and renovation, Tectonic was retained to conduct a supplemental investigation and evaluation of the subsurface conditions at each site. The investigation included Seismic Cone Penetrometer Testing (SCPT) to evaluate the in-situ shear-wave velocity profile of the sites. A geotechnical report was prepared with specific design recommendations for each site that included auger cast piles and micropiles. Following Hurricane Sandy, Tectonic performed test pit and test boring investigations to determine the extent of foundation damage that was present at each site.

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Lehman College

This 69,000-square-foot building is the first of a three-phase facility that will create the cornerstone of the sciences at Lehman. Designed to showcase the college’s strength in plant science teaching & research, Phase I includes laboratories for interdisciplinary teaching & research, science learning centers, offices, and a research facility.

Tectonic performed the following special inspection services in accordance with the Building Code of the City of New York that included the following: Soils- Site Preparation; Soils- Fill Placement & In-Place Density; Excavation- Sheeting, Shoring & Bracing; Structural Safety- Structural Stability; Underpinning; Concrete- Cast-In-Place steel reinforcement & concrete testing; Masonry; Structural Steel Welding, Erection & Bolting – Field & Shop; and Sprayed Fire-Resistant Materials among others.

Tectonic performed the following special inspection services in accordance with the Building Code of the City of New York that included the following: Soils- Site Preparation; Soils- Fill Placement & In-Place Density; Excavation- Sheeting, Shoring & Bracing; Structural Safety- Structural Stability; Underpinning; Concrete- Cast-In-Place steel reinforcement & concrete testing; Masonry; Structural Steel Welding, Erection & Bolting – Field & Shop; and Sprayed Fire-Resistant Materials among others.

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Licensed Site Remediation Services

The Kearney School Board had purchased a vacant commercial property that was only partly characterized at purchase. The site was designated to be a future child care center (CCC) for the township. Contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater were presenting from a variety of sources, including bulk solvent underground storage tanks (USTs). Tectonic took on the remediation, resolved the prior technical deficiencies, and proceeded toward closure.

  • Removing numerous USTs
  • Over-excavated to address Petroleum-Contaminated Soils (PCS) & Chemical Contaminated Soils (CCS); removed for off-Site treatment and recycling.
  • Document the sufficiency of the removals, first field screening the margins of excavations with Direct-Reading Instruments (DRI) – and then performed Post- Excavation (PX) chemical testing.
  • Groundwater remediation using Enhanced Fluid Recovery (EFR) method.
  • Soil borings to delineate known Historic Fill (HF).

Project achieved a Final Remediation Document through a Response Action Outcome issued by the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) of record, following recording of deed notice for the historic fill & remedial action permitting with NJDEP.

Jersey City Board of Education
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Jersey City BOE On-Call Services

Tectonic has been retained by the Jersey City Board of Education (JCBOE) to provide professional environmental engineering services on an as-needed basis.

  • Review and evaluate previous lead in water testing, reports, etc. as well as remediation activities & recommendations for appropriate courses of action,on a case-by-case basis.
  • Review NJDEP correspondence for UST issues and respond.
  • Recertification of soil Deed Notices (DN or Activity Use Limitation,(AUL) and Groundwater Classification Exemption Areas.
  • Remedial Action Permitting (RAP) of soil & groundwater; Indoor Air Quality including Mold.
  • Other environmental services as needed.

A combination of aging infrastructure & facilities in conjunction with a multitude of construction projects underway has resulted in the need for environmental services not anticipated; Tectonic filled the need for professional attendance and advice.