SUPERSTRUCTURES’ Principal Paul Millman introduced our latest lunch-and-learn seminar with a phrase familiar to physicians: “First, do no harm.” No, we’re not expanding our practice to include medical procedures, but the analogy is apt for non-destructive testing, the subject of the day’s presentation, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Infrared Thermography (and Electrical Impedance) Testing…But Were Afraid to Ask” by Barry Drogin, our Director of Non-Destructive Testing & Evaluation. Like the latest medical diagnostics tools, infrared cameras and electrical impedance meters offer a non-invasive assessment of the “patient” (in this case, a building).

Sidewalk sheds provide necessary protections for pedestrians but, like pop flies and Skylab, they eventually come down. Eventually may be the operative word here. Take, for example, the shed that’s being dismantled after 11 years (!) as a fixture of 280 Broadway. SUPERSTRUCTURES conducted an investigation of the building’s exterior, identifying a long list of defects, now remediated. We’re proud to have played a part in the process that made it possible to begin removing the building’s intrusive (but necessary) shed.

Please join us for an evening continuing education event: Infrared Thermography and Electrical Impedance Testing for Building Envelope Assessment. Barry Drogin, SUPERSTRUCTURES' Director of Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation, will discuss when—and when not—to use infrared and electrical impedance testing and how to interpret the results to detect leaks, heat loss, and other building envelope issues. Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 6:00-7:00pm at Superstructures.

On this day in 1906, architect Philip Cortelyou Johnson was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Among his many works in New York, including 550 Madison Avenue (the former AT&T building) and the David H. Koch Theater (originally the New York State Theater) at Lincoln Center, Johnson designed the Bobst Library for NYU with Richard Foster in 1972. Clad in red sandstone, the edifice on the southeast corner of Washington Square Park has had its detractors, but remains a distinctive part of Johnson’s New York portfolio.

Spurred by a growing list of deficiency citations against the Bellevue Men’s Shelter, the New York City DDC contracted SUPERSTRUCTURES to conduct a building-wide façade investigation of the former Psychopathic Hospital building and develop a temporary stabilization program to address potentially hazardous deterioration.

As wall types have become more complex and energy efficiency standards more stringent, the need for effective barriers against air and water penetration is more important than ever. Han Ling from Henry Company explained this imperative in Superstructures’ latest continuing-education seminar presented in our classroom on June 19. His talk was a primer on the functions and interactions of various kinds of barriers, plus some surprising revelations.

Garage owners—whether in New York City or the Empire State in general—know that free parking is only a thing in Monopoly. All the more reason to inspect and maintain these revenue centers—especially now that they’ll be subject to new inspection requirements. Our advice based on SUPERSTRUCTURES’ years of experience with parking garages: be proactive in getting your garage inspected and repaired. File a clean report and avoid compliance headaches when demand is high.

No, it’s not political gossip. We mean an actual leak, as in water infiltrating New York’s historic City Hall. Two active leaks were affecting the building’s offices of the Public Design Commission: one around a chimney, and one around a skylight in a hallway. SUPERSTRUCTURES prescribed remedies for both.

In 2011, SUPERSTRUCTURES addressed the rehabilitation of roofs and wooden porches on 23 stately 19th century brick and wood-framed former officers’ quarters in the historic Nolan Park and Colonels Row sections of Governors Island.

SUPERSTRUCTURES is excited to launch the second season of the Frost Jacking Day Tracker. "Frost jacking" is what happens when freezing temperatures cause rain or snow to turn to ice and expand cracks in a facade. As cycles of freezing and thawing accumulate, the cracks continue to grow and exterior hazardous conditions or interior water damage or leaks can occur.