SuperScript

Reflections on the art and science of restoration, profiles of our projects, and discussions of issues in the profession.

October 13, 2022
Drawing Praise
This unsolicited testimonial is from the co-president of one of the city’s premiere restoration contractors. Producing documents that inspire this kind of praise relies on consistently satisfying the “Four Cs” of excellence: drawings that are clear, correct, concise, and complete.
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October 6, 2022
NUNC PRO TUNC
Nunc Pro Tunc (noonk proh tuhnk) is a catchy Latin phrase meaning "now for then.” It’s typically applied in a legal context when a judgment is entered to have the same legal force and effect as if it had been entered previously. The phrase applies to our field, too.
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September 29, 2022
Concrete, Heal Thyself
We’re always on the lookout for innovative technologies that advance the art and science of restoration. One intriguing material we’ve been following: concrete that can repair itself. Briefly, this self-healing concrete uses an enzyme found in human red blood cells which reacts with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to form calcium carbonate crystals, effectively “healing” cracks before they grow and lead to more widespread failure.
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September 1, 2022
The 70s at 50
From the sweeping travertine and glass skin of 9 W 57th Street to the bold geometry of SUNY Buffalo’s Ellicott Campus, SUPERSTRUCTURES has helped restore exemplars of 70s architecture in New York City and beyond.
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June 23, 2022
Fix, Then File Part 2: FISP Shouldn’t be Taxing
This is our maxim related to New York’s Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP). 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. FISP filing should be part of a strategy rather than a commodity that’s only sought once during each five-year cycle - like income taxes.
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June 16, 2022
Professional Services for Professional Clients
The SCA, NYCHA, DCAS, DDC, HHC, PANY&NJ, OGS, DASNY, and US GSA. What do all these acronyms have in common? They all represent large agencies with multiple facilities, millions of square feet, and billions of dollars of value under their watch and SUPERSTRUCTURES has active projects for nearly all of these owners.
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June 9, 2022
Fix, Then File
One of our mantras related to New York’s Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP) is “Fix, then file.” In other words: attend to the condition of your building’s envelope regularly and periodic filing of a FISP report becomes a formality.
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June 2, 2022
Restoring the Recent Past
A building’s landmark status isn’t synonymous with its preservation worthiness. Both pre-modern (“historic”) and modern buildings are the same to SUPERSTRUCTURES in the sense that we don’t discriminate between ornate, 19th century terra cotta facades and glass-and-steel curtain walls.
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May 26, 2022
It’s Not Academic: BMCC Roof and Plaza Restoration
Spanning four blocks along the West Side Highway, the Borough of Manhattan Community College is a campus in a single, expansive building. Completed in 1983, it incorporates 79 classrooms and seminar rooms, numerous laboratories, three lecture halls, a library, a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a theater. This comprehensive academic facility has a complex envelope, incorporating multiple roof and plaza levels. In other words: not your typical roof restoration project.
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May 12, 2022
A Philosophical Restoration
NYU's 3-5 Washington Place is home to the University's Department of Philosophy. SUPERSTRUCTURES conducted a condition survey, produced construction documents, and provided construction administration to restore the brick, cast iron, brownstone, and terra cotta-clad exterior of this 1890 building designed by Alfred Zucker.
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SUPERSTRUCTURES Engineers + Architects

14 Wall Street, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10005
(212) 505 1133
info@superstructures.com

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