We’ve made the point that we’re not just an A/E firm—we’re also a tech firm. New hardware and software helps drive our practice into the 21st century. But there are others ways in which fields that don’t involve hard hats inspire us and help change our professional perspective and methods.

SUPERSTRUCTURES is thrilled to announce that once again, one of our projects has been honored by the New York Landmarks Conservancy with a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award—our eleventh “Lucy” and eighth in the past ten years. The Preservation Award was presented in recognition of our work on the Appellate Division Courthouse (James Brown Lord, 1899), specifically the conservation and restoration of the Beaux-arts building’s interior murals. It was presented virtually on September 23rd in a socially distanced celebration of the Conservancy’s 30th anniversary of the Lucy Moses awards—the “Oscars” of preservation.

They say you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. Second opinions, however, are another matter. When a restoration proposal is novel, ambitious, or extreme, some clients naturally seek a second opinion—often from another consultant. SUPERSTRUCTURES offers second opinions of two main types: as a check on other consultants’ work, and as collaborative process within our own practice.

We're dedicated to helping you understand the details of FISP / LL11 Cycle 9. So we're sharing this reminder of a detail you may have missed: To stay in compliance and avoid violations, your FISP Condition Certificate must be posted in your building's lobby, whether or not your Cycle 9 report has been filed.

New York has erected several landmarks to the time-honored U.S. Postal Service, from Romanesque Revival to Art Moderne edifices. SUPERSTRUCTURES has had the privilege of preserving two such landmarks: The Grand Central Post Office and the Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse, which incorporates a post office.

SUPERSTRUCTURES had a good run on Broadway—853 Broadway, that is. Our practice was based at the Union Square location for over 20 years; that’s longer than the run of The Lion King. Since our founding in 1981, we’ve completed 50 projects with Broadway addresses, so we have a special, long-standing relationship with New York’s most famous thoroughfare.

New York City to the world: Reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. Just ask quintessential New Yorker and comedy icon, Jerry Seinfeld. His recent op-ed in the New York Times counters current detractors declaring the demise of the New York we know and love. Working in—and for—New York City for decades, we at SUPERSTRUCTURES are doing everything in our power to ensure Jerry’s right.

In part 1 of this post, we made the case that deferred building maintenance threatens building owners with a curve of costs that can soar out of control if not headed off. But just how does regular, proactive maintenance of building systems “flatten” the cost curve to save money and manage liability?

The quantity and magnitude of change orders are the responsibility of the engineer / architect. SUPERSTRUCTURES' exacting drawings detailed with our Restoration Assembly Detail (RAD) tag system help head off the cost and inconvenience of change orders.

McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint, Brooklyn was built as a WPA project in 1936. The building's vast scale and dramatic arches, designed by Aymar Embury II, exemplify New Deal architecture. Closed in 1984, the pool reopened in 2012 after a major refurbishment by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. SUPERSTRUCTURES’ contribution to the facility’s revitalization was a comprehensive investigation and analysis to address water infiltration through the building envelope.