Before embarking on a major repair campaign, the owners of this 35-story condo retained SUPERSTRUCTURES to conduct an independent investigation. The subsequent repair campaign cost $4 million and was accomplished within a single year, saving our client time and money, with far less disruption to the lives of the building occupants.

Bologna, Italy is famous for its stately porticoes (38 miles worth) and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. New York City’s utilitarian equivalent—sidewalk sheds—are similar in that both are sheltering, street-level spaces for pedestrians.  But the similarity ends there. SUPERSTRUCTURES' systematic approach to facade inspection and restoration offers the potential to get each project completed, scaffolding dismantled, and the sidewalk unobstructed as rapidly as possible.

The brick veneer of this 1960s, 30-story coop exhibited cracks, spalls, and displacement. The board had retained a consultant who recommended installation of almost 70,000 post-installed helical veneer anchors at an estimated cost of $1.6 million. SUPERSTRUCTURES was retained to perform an independent study which ultimately saved the client $1.2 million.

Actually, SAFE. This “zipper” installation in Milan by British artist, Alex Chinneck and SITE’s postmodern facades for Best Products have been engineered to appear to be failing on a monumental scale. SUPERSTRUCTURES’ practice, on the other hand, focuses on restoring facades and the structure that supports them.

Here’s a haunting challenge: Can you check all the boxes containing gargoyles? Actually, it’s a trick (or treat) question…First, you’d need to know what makes a gargoyle a gargoyle.

Recently, the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House saw its first pour of self-consolidating concrete (SCC). The century-old masonry apron in the building’s subcellar is being restored with the application of new waterproofing, as part of a $55 million restoration of the landmark building.

A handy mantra for anyone facing a FISP* filing is “Fix, then file.” In other words: if you attend to the condition of your building’s envelope regularly, then periodic filing of a FISP report becomes a formality—rather than a rude awakening.

According to Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “brevity is the soul of wit.” It’s also a virtue in the practice of exterior restoration. Avoiding jargon and using straightforward, concise language—plain English—is a best practice when writing reports and specifications.

New York’s array of public housing forms a city within the city—one that SUPERSTRUCTURES is proud to help keep safe and viable for over 500,000 residents each year.

SUPERSTRUCTURES is familiar with this 748-unit cooperative complex—and not just from our recent work to restore the envelopes of its six buildings. Our two founding principals toured the complex under construction when they were architecture students at Cooper Union.