SuperScript

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

November 12, 2024
Case Study: $1.2 Million Savings for an Upper West Side Co-Op
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.
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November 7, 2024
UNSAFE? SWARMP?
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.
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October 31, 2024
I am Not a Robot (or a Gargoyle)
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.
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October 24, 2024
A “Green Apron” for the Hamilton Custom House
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.
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October 17, 2024
Repeat After Me: Fix, Then File
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.
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October 10, 2024
In Praise of Plain English
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.
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September 26, 2024
A City Within the City: NYCHA Housing
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.
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September 24, 2024
East Midtown Plaza "Revisited"
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.
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September 19, 2024
Credit Where It’s Due: Fayerweather Hall
Change orders usually mean additional expense and a delayed project completion date. But occasionally, they’re a pleasant surprise—when they signify a reduction in construction cost. Our restoration of Columbia University’s Fayerweather Hall is a recent example.
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September 10, 2024
A Very Particular Set of Skills...
Do you have the particular set of skills we’re looking for? They include the ability to craft construction documents (drawings and specifications) that are correct, complete, clear, concise, and consistent.
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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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