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Top Projects 2002: The Capitol
New York Construction News, June 2002 by David Chartock
Logistics posed the toughest challenge at 776 Sixth Avenue, a $76 Million, 37-story apartment building in New York's flower district. Logistical challenges included dealing with the traffic on Sixth Avenue, construction of another apartment building rising across the street, the presence of an old Con Edison of New York electrical substation below the site and the existence of a subway track adjacent the site. In addition to the traffic and the fact that another apartment building was being constructed across the street, a phased schedule was required as well as close coordination of deliveries with all of the subcontractors and with the New York City Department of Transportation, with whom lane closures on Sixth Avenue had to coordinated. The discovery of the old electrical substation brought with it hundreds of abandoned conduits. This was unanticipated and it required the excavation contractor to remove them and dispose of them. This caused a delay in the schedule which was compensated for by bringing in the superstructure contractor two weeks early. Bringing in the superstructure contractor early allowed its work to commence earlier than scheduled. This early start by the superstructure contractor made up for any lost time that resulted in delaying installation of the reinforced concrete foundations for this 456,000-sq.-ft. residential structure. Having a subway track adjacent to the property required digging down to provide additional support for the building by offsetting the column loads adjacent to the subway. The column loads were offset by cantilevering them away from the subway. The building's structural system includes a combination of columns and slabs in a dual system that uses shear walls to resist wind and seismic forces. It is also flat plate construction. There is always a challenge with flat plate construction for seismic and wind loads, requiring additional shear capacity around the columns be provided. The schedule was also a challenge. Due to the shortage of qualified trades people at the time, the project's schedule had to accommodate the subcontractors' schedules. The concrete superstructure contractor was challenged by having to get up to the building's fifth floor pedestal. Below the fifth floor are 28,224 sq. ft. of retail space and 73,000 sq. ft. of parking two levels below grade. As a result, spandrel beams were used and radial ramps constructed for cars exiting the parking areas onto the street.
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