GMS Promotions and New Hires 2024

GMS is pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Pugliese to Associate Partner and Clara Cruz to Project Manager. Additionally, we are excited to welcome Susan Haynes to the building envelope team as an Associate. We look forward to celebrating the continued accomplishments of these talented colleagues.

Read more

GMS Principal Contributes to New ASCE Structural Condition Assessment Of Existing Buildings: A Guideline

This recently issued Manual of Practice is intended as a guide to design professionals and their clients such as building owners, prospective purchasers, tenants, regulatory officials, and others. This guideline establishes the assessment procedure, including investigation, testing methods, and format for the report of the condition. The methodology is particularly relevant in the current period marked by numerous building conversions. As a member of the Subcommittee on Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings, Dan Eschenasy, the GMS Principal Forensic Engineer, contributed to its development by focusing mainly on the chapter related to the assessment of masonry.

It should be noted that Dan also contributed to the Publication of the ASCE Guideline for Condition Assessment of the Building Envelope (30-14), and together with Alissa Shapiro, GMS Associate, participates in the development of ASCE 11-28 Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings Standard.

Link to Publication

 

Read more

550 Washington Street – St. John’s Terminal

After several years of planning and construction, the St. John’s Terminal building at 550 Washington Street is now home to Google’s HQ.  The project, which was completed earlier this year, is comprised of the adaptive reuse of the 90-year-old former freight terminal and a new 9-story overbuild addition. The new aluminum and glass structure spans two city blocks and is built on top of the original 3-story brick clad terminal that served as the end point for what was the Tenth Avenue elevated rail; known today as the High Line.

Read more

Historic Renovation and New Commercial Building Rise at 50 Ninth Avenue

In an ambitious blend of historic preservation and modern construction, 50 Ninth Avenue, formerly known as 44-54 Ninth Avenue, has undergone a significant transformation. Spearheaded by MEPA Realty LLC and Tavros Capital, the project involved the renovation of nine existing historic buildings and the addition of a nine-story commercial structure. GMS provided structural engineering services, demolition engineering and structural special inspections for this complex project.  The revitalized site now stands as a testament to innovative design and careful preservation.

Read more

Jessica Mandrick Presents at SEAoNY Annual Conference

GMS Partner Jessica Mandrick presented on “ASCE 7 Flood Loads – Changes in ASCE 7-22 Supplement 2” at SEAoNY’s annual conference on Thursday, February 8th.

10 members of the GMS Team attended this year’s conference on “Past, Present, and Future of Building Codes,” attending Jessica’s presentation as well as others on topics such as “Design Steel Your Way,” “Geotechnical Peer Review,” and “Reinforcing Steel Specifications from 1910 to Today.”

Read more

GMS Holiday Party and Reflections on 2023

GMS held our annual Holiday Party at Mustang Harry’s on December 12th, bringing together current employees and some GMS alumni.  The evening was spent enjoying drinks, food, and each other’s company. Our team celebrated an eventful year at the firm as we began new projects, wrapped up existing ones, and welcomed new staff.

Read more

GMS Participates in CANStruction 2023

Another year of CANStruction is here, and the GMS Team drew inspiration from a beloved cohort of video game characters. This year’s sculpture, aptly named “Mushroom in Manhattan,” was constructed out of cans of salmon and tuna fish. Captain Sara McMonagle was joined on build night by Adrianna Early, Emily Taylor, May Thu Nwe Nwe, Juan Angulo, Florentin Lejeune, Maxence Gosselin, and Will Saldana.

Read more

Ramon Gilsanz Presents at Instituto Cervantes at Harvard University

On October 5th, GMS Partner Ramon Gilsanz visited Instituto Cervantes at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to give a presentation entitled “Disaster Prevention.” The presentation was prepared by Ramon Gilsanz, Dan Eschenasy, Gia Antonelli, and Reed Miller, all from GMS, as well as Veronica Cedillos and Susan Bailey from Geohazards International (GHI). During the presentation, Gilsanz offered an introduction to previously employed practices, suggestions for improvement of coordination between architects and structural engineers, and methods to save human lives and reduce economic loss.

Read more

A Farewell to Summer 2023

The GMS Team celebrated the summer season with our annual summer party, hosted this year at Arlo NoMad’s rooftop venue. Our full-time staff, interns, and even some GMS alumni gathered after work on August 16th to chat and enjoy a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.

Read more

Congratulations to New Associates and Associate Partners!

Pictured (left to right): Andrew Dolan, Rosemarie Isleib, Ana Gallego, Miryam Varona, and Mark Beltramello.

 

GMS is pleased to announce that Mark Beltramello, Andrew Dolan, and Ana Gallego have been promoted to the role of Associate Partner and that Miryam Varona has been promoted to the role of Associate. In addition, GMS has welcomed Rosemarie Isleib to our team, as an Associate. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the accomplishments of these talented engineers and architects! Look below to learn more about Mark, Andrew, Ana, Miryam, and Rosemarie.

Read more

Structural Elements of Fairfield University’s New Arena

The Leo D. Mahoney Arena at Fairfield University, a GMS project completed with Centerbrook Architects, opened its doors in November 2022. Our structural engineering and BIM teams, including Gary Steficek, Eugene Kim, John Hinchcliffe, Phoebe Wang, Rui Zhang, and Petr Vancura, assisted in creating this 85,000-sf convocation center that received an Honorable Mention at this year’s SEAoNY SEE Awards.

Read more

ASCE 7-28 Committee Announcement

Left side Image: Back row: Mark Beltramello, Sebastian Delgado, Sara McMonagle, May Thu Nwe Nwe, Isabel Lorenzo, and Ramon Gilsanz; Seated: Dan Eschenasy, Phoebe Wang, and Adrianna Early. Right side Image: Ana Gallego and Eugene Kim.

Congratulations to several members of our GMS staff who have volunteered and been selected to serve as part of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7-28 committees!

Read more

Upcoming Talks: Façades+ and Building Codes

This coming Thursday will be a big day for GMS!

Jose Mendoza, AIA will be speaking at The Architect’s Newspaper’s Façade+ Conference of 2023 on March 30, 2023. The event will go on for two days, with the symposium being held on March 30th from 8 A.M. to 7 P.M.  at the Metropolitan Pavilion located in 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY. The second day will consist of workshops that will be held on March 31st at the New York Law School located at 185 West Broadway, New York, NY. You can register to attend the event here.

Principal Forensic Engineer Dan Eschenasy was invited to present at ASCE – Metropolitan Section’s 9th Annual RA Lecture on Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 6 P.M to 7 P.M EST. Dan will discuss building code requirements for Foundation Design and outline his views on the need for a published standard of care for geotechnical engineering, and the risks posed by the delegated design. You can register to attend the online webinar here.

Read more

Jonathan Hernandez and Mark Beltramello Present at the 2023 APT Northeast Annual Meeting & Symposium!

On March 3, 2023, Jonathan Hernandez and Mark Beltramello served as presenters at APT Northeast’s 2023 Annual Meeting & Symposium at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA!

During their presentation, Jonathan and Mark discussed the structural restoration and renovation of terracotta materials, which included the implications and challenges that they have encountered in the terracotta buildings that have been restored, renovated, and repurposed. As they explained, the buildings containing terracotta arches and flat terracotta arch slabs utilize terra cotta as a load-bearing structural material. Also discussed was the history of these floor slab systems, and how much they’ve changed over time since being developed in 1871.

A few of their more recent case studies that were covered during their presentation included Manhattan Eye, Ear, & Throat Hospital (MEETH), 2 Bryant Park, the Flatiron Building, and 230 Park Avenue South, all of which contain flat terracotta arches.

You can read the full program here.

Read more

GMS Promotions 2022

GMS is excited to announce our latest staff promotions. Each of these individuals  is a valuable member of the GMS team, and we wish them continued success in their careers.

Read more

2022 Building Code and RPAPL 881

Dan Eschenasy PE. F.SEI

Principal Forensic Engineer

A new version of the New York City Building Code becomes effective this 7th November. Will it impact the recent years’ trend of increase in the number of cases related to Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law – §881  Access to adjoining property to make improvements or repairs (RPAPL 881)?  In older areas of New York City (NYC), the building density is such that any new construction or even some alterations cannot be executed without accessing the adjoining property for inspection and installation of protective devices. As a result, the negotiations and cases are generally based on the sections prescribing the protection of adjoining property of NYC Building Code Chapter 33 Safeguards during Construction or Demolition. Even though the 2022 Building Code edition has only a limited number of changes to these Chapter 33 sections, this engineer proposes that the changes in subchapter 3306 Demolition related to temporary weather protection and building assessment may provide increased opportunities to negotiate licenses to access adjoining properties. Separately, it is most probable that additional sources for negotiations may be found in the new 1817.3 Evaluation of adjacent buildings for suitable methods of support.

Read more

Penn 2 – Redesign of Two Penn Plaza

In 2014, Vornado Realty Trust engaged the GMS Building Envelope Group to assist in the re-design of Two Penn Plaza’s exterior envelope and plaza. The initial task was a feasibility study to explore possibilities for over-cladding the existing exterior wall.  Since then, additional studies, design possibilities, and structural support scenarios have been considered. While the transformation is still in progress, it is far enough along to see the “lines on paper” becoming reality.  The GMS team looks forward to completion and will be pleased to have worked on the project from start to finish.

Read more

Two Bryant Park

Work at Two Bryant Park, formerly known as 1100 Avenue of the Americas, is wrapping up after undergoing a complete transformation.  This 15-story office building located on Sixth Avenue between West 42nd and 43rd Streets, directly across from Bryant Park and adjacent to the Grace Building, offers exceptional views and amenities to its tenants. With floor-to-ceiling windows, this newly reflective façade is complimented by the structures and green space around it.  In addition to having views of Bryant Park, the building has convenient access to subways, Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Read more

GMS Welcomes Forensic Engineer Dan Eschenasy!

GMS is excited to announce that former Chief Structural Engineer of the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) Dan Eschenasy is joining the company as our Principal Forensic Engineer. He brings over 40 years of forensic engineering experience to future GMS projects.

Read more

GMS Presents at the Facades+ Conference

GMS was thrilled to participate in the Facades+ Conference, held in New York City on April 13-14, where Senior Building Envelope Consultant Sara Gonzalez gave a presentation on 130 William Street. The façade of this unique 66-story building in Lower Manhattan is made of pre-cast panels with arched windows and loggias on the top floors. GMS was the façade consultant on the project, working with developer Lightstone Group, Adjaye Associates, and Hill West Architects.

Read more

Cal Poly Students Visit GMS

Last month, GMS had the pleasure of hosting 18 engineering students from California Polytechnic State University. Staff members spoke to the students about GMS projects and gave them a glimpse into what it’s like living and working in New York City, giving them advice on how to succeed in the structural engineering industry, and the transition from being a college student to working full-time.

Read more

GMS 2022 Work Anniversaries

This year is a big one for GMS work anniversaries. In 2022 – 31 years since GMS was formed – many of our employees will reach incredible milestones for their years dedicated to GMS.

Read more

Meet the 2021 GMS New Hires

Gilsanz Murray Steficek experienced considerable change in 2021. In addition to returning to in-person work in our offices and making an effort to return to a safe, healthy, new normal, GMS has grown our number of employees with several new hires.

Read more

GMS Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Thirty years ago, in 1991, founding partners, Ramon Gilsanz, Philip Murray, and Gary Steficek, came together to form Gilsanz Murray Steficek. Seasoned and established engineers, the three partners started GMS in an office at 95 University Place in Manhattan with one employee and one purpose: to provide structural engineering solutions to communities across the world.  

Read more

ASCE 7-22 Has Been Released

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released ASCE 7-22, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-22), which plays a critical role in the future of building codes in the United States.

Read more

GMS Attends ACEC Coalitions Summer Meeting

Last month, Gilsanz Murray Steficek attended the ACEC Coalitions Summer Meeting in Nashville, TN, from August 9-10. As their website states, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) serves as the voice of the engineering industry throughout the United States and represents thousands of companies, working to strengthen the business environment for their members’ firms through government advocacy, political action, and business education.

Read more

Thank You to our 2021 Summer Interns!

From left to right: Robert Rochel, Elliott Seaman, Eddy Wanyonyi, and John Podgorniak

Is the summer really coming to an end already? Time really does fly, especially when you have a group of incredible summer interns!

Last week, our group of interns — who have been with GMS family since June of 2021 — gave their final presentation to the rest of the company to discuss all they have learned and what they have worked on during their months with GMS.

Read more

Exciting Promotions Across the GMS Team

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This summer, we are thrilled to announce the well-deserved promotions of an impressive handful of GMS employees. We are lucky to have cultivated such a bright group of people to be part of the GMS family and are honored to watch them continue to grow. Congratulations to the following employees and thank you for your continued hard work and dedication!

Read more

2021 Promotions in the Building Envelope Group

One of the great things about working at GMS is the diverse skills and perspectives of our staff. Congratulations to several members of our Building Envelope Group #GMSFacade on their recent promotions –  Daniel Kinsley and William Hutch are promoted to Project Managers, and Sara Gonzalez, Rafael Alvarez, and Joe Raffin are promoted to Senior Building Envelope Consultants.

Much applause and congratulations to each of the five of them! From left to right:

Read more
Magic 8-ball 2018

CANstruction in 2020

Typically by Thanksgiving, we can look back on our CANstruction sculpture competition and know that we have helped to feed our fellow New Yorkers. This year, of course, is different. We cannot build our designs in person, but GMS is still supporting @canstructionny and @CityHarvest online.

CANstruction New York has donated nearly 2 million pounds of food to City Harvest through an annual design/build competition where design professionals compete to design and build giant structures made entirely out of canned foods.  This year because of COVID-19, teams will be competing by fundraising and submitting digital designs of canned food sculptures.

Check back soon to see our digital design, and in the meantime, please donate if you can.

At GMS we are thankful for the continued support of our clients and colleagues, and we look forward to building more structures, facades and canstructions in the future.

Click here to donate.

Read more
Panel Discussion - ASCE 7-22 loading changes

Jessica Mandrick presents at NCSEA Summit

On Friday, November 6, 2020, GMS Associate Partner Jessica Mandrick, joined several prominent structural engineers to present ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures at the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Structural Engineering Summit. NCSEA in partnership with its Member Organizations supports practicing structural engineers to be highly qualified professionals and successful leaders.

Read more

2020 Lucy G. Moses Awards

817 Broadway and Fotografiska are among this year’s Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award winners from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Our work at 817 Broadway included the redevelopment of a 14-story newly landmarked building just south of Union Square, measuring approximately 140,000 sf including one subgrade level.  The redevelopment included an upgraded lobby, restored exterior, common roof deck, new windows, and a retail curtain wall on the ground floors. GMS provided structural engineering and special inspection services for the replacement of the retail storefronts and punched windows on all sides of the building, new lobby and freight entrance, new/upgraded elevators, and a newly accessible roof terrace.

Owner: Taconic Investment Partners

Architect: Studios Architecture

Façade Restoration: Loci Architects

Fotografiska and Owner RFR Realty redeveloped the historic building at 281 Park Avenue South, formerly known as the Church Mission House.  An extensive probe program was coordinated with the Client’s Contractor to investigate the existing conditions and the framing connections in order to convert the office floors to retail/gallery use. The six-story, 45,000 sf building was originally built circa 1900 and is landmarked.

GMS also served as the structural engineer for tenant fit-out for the Swedish organization, Fotografiska International, a photography museum with a café, bookstore, restaurant, and event space.

Architect:    Cetra Ruddy

Read more

11 Hoyt Street

GMS is excited to be working with Tishman Speyer, providing Building Envelope Consulting Services for the development of a new condominium residential development at 11 Hoyt Street in Brooklyn.  The building consists of a 57 story tower, approximately 770,000 sf, which rises to a height of over 600 feet with one cellar level below grade, and a green roof above a twostory podium. The tower houses 481 apartments with over 55,000 sf of amenity spaces.

Read more

Deflection of Flat-Plate Slabs

The competing factors governing structural design and dimensioning of reinforced concrete slabs create opportunities for optimizing the cost and performance of reinforced concrete flat-plate slabs. Using a slab prototype from an existing building, this study compares designs using different strengths of reinforcing bars and concrete.

Download Article
Read more

Peabody Museum Expansion at Yale University

GMS is excited to begin the next phase of the renovations at Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History, as they undergo a $200 million renovation starting now!

Centerbrook Architects, Reich + Petch exhibit designers of Toronto, arup providing mep services and Turner Construction round out the team. When work is completed in 2023, the museum will feature 50 percent more gallery space and new lighting, audio-visual and casework systems. The Peabody will have 15,000 square feet of new galleries across three floors, so visitors will be able to view objects from the collections that have never been exhibited before. Display systems will be designed to make it easy to rotate content and provide new exhibits. Our structural engineering includes the design of the building addition as well as the design of new displays and vitrines.

The GMS team includes Gary Steficek, Jessica Mandrick, Alissa Oelsner, Zoe Champion, Christian Vargas, Lizhong Wang and Miryam Varona Rogel. Image courtesy of Centerbrook Architects and Planners.

For more information, https://www.newhavenbiz.com/article/midnight-at-the-museum-yales-peabody-goes-dark-this-spring-for-a-three-year-200-million

Read more

GMS Update Coronavirus 3.17.2020

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

During this unprecedented and challenging time, we wanted to reach out and share our current plan for the evolving COVID-19 situation, and how we plan to manage going forward.

Our priority is everyone’s safety and well-being as we continue to deliver on our business obligations with professionalism. While our offices in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles remain open and accessible for essential personnel, we have encouraged our entire staff to work from home as much as possible. We have implemented remote working protocols that will allow our staff to perform their job functions efficiently, enabling GMS as a whole to move our projects forward minimizing disruption.

Additionally, we will cautiously continue to perform field visits and required inspections, until otherwise directed. We know these visits are critical and time-sensitive, and it is our goal to continue to perform these duties with additional precautions and protective measures in place both for our staff as well as our colleagues.

Finally, we intend to keep all meetings with our team and clients as scheduled, utilizing services such as GoTo, WebEx, Zoom and other services in lieu of face-to-face meetings in accordance with Social Distancing recommendations.

We continue to monitor CDC and Government directives constantly and will evaluate our response to this situation on a daily basis. Should anything change in the plan outlined above, we will send a follow-up to this email with further detail.

Working together and with a strong communication plan in place, we believe we can overcome the challenges of these times. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the GMS partners.

Wishing you all good health, and please stay safe.

GMS Team

Read more

GMS Coat Drive

GMS joins NYCares in their yearly coat drive campaign. This well-known nonprofit collects new and slightly used coats from all over the city and then distributes them to social service agencies, public schools, transitional housing, and more.

Winter temperatures can be extremely low in NYC and at the same time, the number of people in need is on the rise, so we are extending a hand to those who are the most vulnerable – this is the season to give back.

Thank you to all the staff at GMS, as well as their families and friends who have helped us gather 18 coats! These coats will help children, young adults and adults stay warm this season.

#coatdrive #actsofwarmth #nycares

 

 

 

Read more

CIB Awards

GMS was honored with a Concrete Industry Board Special Merit Award for Structural Design for the Virgin Hotel project and an Award of Merit – Mixed-Use for Tangram.

Our team is very proud of how each project is turning out.

The Awards Dinner at Marina del Rey, in the Bronx was a fun night of celebration with our industry colleagues and friends.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Read more

CTBUH Emerging Leader of New York Award

Congratulations to our Associate Partner, Jessica Mandrick, on being named one of five 2019 Emerging Leaders by the CTBUH New York Future Leaders Committee.

GMS is proud to have such a committed professional on our team and this award is well-deserved. Jessica started at GMS in 2007 as an engineer and has worked on a broad range of projects. Within our office she advocates for broader internal education programs, wider exposure to different project types and encourages participation in professional organizations. “It is important that engineers see hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes as more than just loads, and consider their societal impact. Engineers are well educated to take a seat at the table in the larger conversation on disaster preparedness, risk tolerance, and infrastructure investment.”

We congratulate Jessica and know this is just one of many honors she will receive throughout her professional life. And we thank her for her contributions to our industry.

The award will be presented during the CTBUH NY Regional Conference Reception on Friday, November 1, 2019 at The Penn Club in New York City.

Read more

Form and Force – IASS Symposium

The IASS 60th Anniversary Symposium (IASS SYMPOSIUM 2019) and 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures (STRUCTURAL MEMBRANES 2019) have merged into a joint international conference, FORM and FORCE 2019, aiming to provide a forum for state-of-the-art contributions and fruitful discussion in the broad fields of shell, spatial, tension and inflatable structures. The 2019 conference was held in October in Barcelona, Spain and it covered concepts related to material, design, computation, construction, maintenance, history, environmental impact and sustainability of shell, spatial, tension and inflatable structures in all fields of application.

Miguel Lopez of GMS presented a paper, Lateral Load Resisting Facades, co-authored jointly by the GMS Structural Engineers and Building Envelope consultants Miguel Lopez, Joseph Blanchfield, Philip Murray, David Kazibwe, Carolyn Bai, Ramon Gilsanz. The paper’s abstract follows:

Simple modifications to traditional curtain wall slab anchors allow designers to incorporate a structure’s building envelope system into its lateral system, leading not only to improved structural performance, but a reduction in the building construction’s carbon footprint. This approach of integrating architecture with structural design to optimize building performance and construction embodies the principles of efficiency, economy, and elegance championed by the late Princeton Professor David Billington. In this paper, the potential benefits of utilizing façade members to contribute to the building stiffness is studied by reanalyzing 510 Madison Avenue, a 2012 Class-A steel high-rise office building in Manhattan. The building’s lateral system is comprised of moment and braced frames. The building’s façade is a unitized aluminum curtain wall system that utilizes traditional curtain wall anchors designed to prevent the transfer of loads between the façade and the structure.

GMS Partners Philip MurrayRamon Gilsanz and colleagues Zoe Champion and Helena Ariza also attended the conference, noting the networking opportunities and planned workshops to learn about new software applications, among other things. For more information, click here.

Read more

Fairfield University Unveils Plans for New State-of-the-Art Convocation Center

Fairfield University and Centerbrook Architects and Planners have shared new images of the #Stags new Convocation Center. Have a first look here  https://fairfieldstags.com/feature/ConvocationCenter

This new 85,000 sf facility will include a 3,500 seat multi-use space for basketball, volleyball or university events and concerts. The seating can be reconfigured to allow two practice courts, or infilled to create an event or dining space. The venue includes a state-of-the-art broadcast and media center, as well as spaces devoted to the student athletes. The GMS team includes: Gary Steficek, Eugene Kim, John Hinchcliffe, Nam Hee Kim, Khaoula Msaaf, Nicolas Gomez, Phoebe Wang, Kristina Zarrella, Juan Escobar, Arkadi Goldin, Irina Goldin and Miryam Varona.

Image courtesy of Centerbrook Architects and Planners

 

Read more

Vacation Homes

Whether you’re shopping for a home or planning your next vacation stay, take a look at these homes GMS has engineered…

Among GMS’ extensive portfolio, we bring vast experience with single-family residences in New York and throughout the Americas.  Many of our projects are located on inland, mountain and coastal properties including eastern beachfront homes in hurricane prone regions within high velocity wave zones in the flood plain, and pacific beach properties where landslides and earthquakes pose additional hazards.  These homes are constructed using timber, steel, architecturally exposed concrete and extensive glass facades. Contact Phil Murray if you are thinking of building your own dream.

Read more

Restoration Hardware

Courtesy of Restoration Hardware

The intersection of Ninth Avenue, Gansevoort Street and Little West 12th Street in Manhattan’s Gansevoort Market Historic District, has been in active use for over 150 years. It has served as an open air market, stables, a meatpacking warehouse and, as possibly it’s most notable incarnation, the home of the much loved bistro, Pastis. It is now the new 90,000 square foot home of Restoration Hardware’s Manhattan flagship.

Read more

MCC Theater Moves to a New Home

©Michael Moran OTTO

The Manhattan Class Company (MCC) began 32 years ago as a collective of young actors, writers and directors with the mission of re-defining the NYC theater scene. Finally, after years of renting and relocating, this Off-Broadway non-profit now has a permanent space of their own!

Read more

Eugene G. Mui, 1936-2019

The team at GMS are so saddened to learn that Eugene G. Mui, GMS’s first employee, passed away on June 19, 2019. Eugene’s wisdom and patience helped shape the firm that we have become. He is fondly remembered and will be missed by all who knew him.

Read more

2019 Qu-AKE World Pride March

We are happy to announce GMS is joining Queer Advocacy and Knowledge Exchange (Qu-AKE) in the 2019 World Pride March on June 30th!

With our sponsorship, we will have 20 GMS employees march with Qu-AKE. Come join us!

The Queer Advocacy and Knowledge Exchange (Qu-AKE) is a national, nonprofit, inclusive network for professionals working in the fields of civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, geosciences and construction. We exist to ensure visibility and protection of LGBTQ+ professionals in our fields, by facilitating networking opportunities, providing a forum for mentorship, and fighting discrimination against members of our community in the workplace.

For more information, email info@qu-ake.org

Read more

GMS Promotions 2019

The partners of GMS are proud to announce the following promotions effective June 1, 2019:

Tele Gonzalez to Principal,

David Hoy, David Shea and Jeff Stratton to Associate Partner,

Mark Beltramello, Aaron Doliber, Carmen Garavi, John Hinchcliffe and Alvaro Martinez to Associate,

Hannah Garfield, Patxi Goicolea, Ruilong Han, Teodor Ispirski and Dana Saba to Project Engineer and

Jean Laurent and Matt Hong to Senior Engineer.

“These promotions are a testament to their hard work and efforts to learn and grow as professionals. We are very happy that they are working with us, and we hope that they will continue to grow with us for many years!”, said Ramon Gilsanz as he made the announcement.

Left to right in back row, Teodor Ispirski, Jeff Stratton, Aaron Doliber, Mark Beltramello, Alvaro Martinez, John Hinchcliffe and in front row: Jean Laurent, Tele Gonzalez, Carmen Garavi, Dana Saba, Hannah Garfield.

Read more

Updating the Existing Building Code

GMS Partner Karl Rubenacker attended the International Code Council’s Committee Action Hearings in Albuquerque, May 4 and 5 on behalf of the NCSEA existing buildings code advisory committee. These hearings offered code officials, architects, builders, engineers, and other design professionals the opportunity to provide input on proposed code changes to the Group B International Codes® for 2021.

Read more
2019structurescongress

Meet us at the 2019 SEI Structures Congress!

April 24 through 27, 2019 GMS Partners Ramon Gilsanz and Karl Rubenacker, as well as Associate Partners Eugene Kim, Jennifer Lan and Jessica Mandrick will travel to Orlando, Florida to attend this year’s ASCE/SEI Structures Congress.

Jessica will be moderating Innovation in Software and Technology for Structural Engineering (Session 508025), Thursday April 25 at 9.30 AM. Ramon will present on Optimal Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures (496799), Friday April 26 at 1.30 PM. Jennifer will present on Findings from the ATC Mexico City Earthquake Reconnaissance (507867), Friday April 26 at 1.30pm (with Ramon as co-presenter) and Ramon and Karl will present different chapters of the ASCE/SEI Design Guide Alternative Load Path Analysis Guidelines for Disproportionate Collapse (504616), Saturday April 27 at 11am.

On Wednesday April 24, Ramon and Karl will meet with the ASCE Standards Committee on Disproportionate Collapse Mitigation and Jessica will chair the SEI Board Young Professional Committee meeting.

Drop us a line if you will be attending, we would love to have a chance to catch up with you while we are there!

Click here to learn more about the Congress http://www.eventscribe.com/2019/STCONG19/ Or follow on Twitter #Structures19

Read more

Hermes to present at the 2nd Annual Design Build Excellence Spring Symposium

GMS Partner Achim Hermes will be presenting at the 2nd Annual Design Build Excellence Spring Symposium on Friday, April 26th of this year.

Achim will present on “Building Facade Essentials: Acoustical Design, Implementation, and Quality Assurance” together with AKRF.

Click to learn more and register http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-design-build-excellence-spring-symposium-registration-59106774955

Read more

Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)

Join GMS Senior Structural Engineer Hannah Garfield, PE, along with architects from Gensler and builders from Structure Tone for a panel discussion at the March Chapter Meeting 3/13 of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Metro NY Chapter. Architectural Metal and Glass: A Powerful Combination will explore a recent project featuring a glass and metal guardrail for a multinational consulting firm’s offices in Midtown Manhattan.

For more information https://lnkd.in/dQ8cNsj

Read more

Welcome John!

We are happy to welcome John Lantry back to GMS! We look forward to having him work on our work for the NYC School Construction Authority and for the NYC Economic Development Corporation!

Read more

Chicago Architecture Center

ICYMI, or were not able to make it to the Chicago Architecture Center last month, GMS’s Ken Oen, P.E. (second from right) participated on a panel (from the left) with CTBUH‘s Antony Wood,  Mark Anderson, of the John Buck Company, and Benjy Ward, of Gensler  shown here with Lynn Osmond of the CAC (center). http://www.ctbuh.org/Events/CTBUHRelatedEvents/CACBuildingTallLecture/tabid/8117/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Read more

Cultivating a Constructive Partnership

Since the mid-1990s, GMS has been pleased to work with Centerbrook Architects and Planners on a host of ingenious and extraordinary projects. Over the years, our 25 collaborations have included academic and cultural institutions, athletic facilities and sports arenas, places of worship, and private residences. Today, our teamwork continues at Yale University’s Peabody Museum and Greenwich Country Day School.

Read more

The Sky’s the Limit?

GMS understands tall buildings. Our engineers and architects are experts in not just the skyscraper’s “bones” (the structure), but its “skin” (the envelope) as well.

On October 22nd, Achim Hermes will travel to the annual Middle East Conference of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) in Dubai to participate in a panel discussion about “skinning tomorrow’s skyscrapers.”

Read more

Reimagining Retail

GMS excels at designing structures to support and house unique shopping environments. From new, ground-up construction to renovation; from white-boxing to full-scale fit-out, we work with a vast array of materials – including architectural concrete, exposed steel, heavy timber, structural glass, plastics and polymers – in order to solve complex interior design challenges.

Read more

Leading the Way

At GMS, we recognize the importance of being engaged in our professional community through organization membership, peer-networking, and conference participation. Not only does this help us keep abreast of the most current technologies and practices, it also allows us to share our experiences and provide guidance to other professionals. We therefore endeavor to serve as leaders within the community by assuming governing roles in various engineering organizations.

Read more

Inside Eaton Workshop – the New Hotel Brand Designed for Social Change

Eaton Hotels is pioneering an ‘interdisciplinary hotel experience’, providing innovative spaces and ‘provocative’ content, food and programming, in an effort to bring social change to the hospitality industry. GMS served as structural engineer for this new brand to establish their first property in the US at 1201 K Street NW in Washington, D.C.

This property is composed of a nine story tower constructed in 1962 with integrated below-grade parking garage and a five story building constructed in 1942. The design involved reinforcement of the upper levels and removal of an existing rooftop pool to accommodate additional suites at the upper level and a new rooftop bar. The building is also equipped with upgraded infrastructure and a new façade.

Originally a printing press in the 1940’s and then a bus station in the 1960’s, it was more recently a Sheraton Four Points hotel. In addition to the 209 hotel rooms, the 175,000 sf property also houses a radio station, a 50 person theater, a coffee shop, restaurant, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, a co-working space and a wellness center.

Read more

Montroy DeMarco Architecture and 1 Oak Complete Mixed-Use Silver Star Building in LIC

Photo credit: Ola Wilk/Wilk Marketing Communications

GMS provided structural engineering services for the core and shell of a new building of approximately 162,000 sf over 10 stories, plus a full cellar. The building includes a new car showroom with service / repair area at street level, a used-car showroom above, and parking garage below. The upper levels and the roof are designed for residential occupancy. The project is adjacent to the subway line running along Northern Boulevard, so approval of the MTA was required to obtain construction permits.

Read more

Manhattan’s Growing Sephardic Community Says New Center a Win for Ashkenazi Jews

This new temple and community center incorporates a pool in the sub-cellar, a wellness center, synagogue lobby and café at the ground level, an auditorium, with balcony, classrooms, offices, a double-story high gymnasium, a banquet room and rooftop play area as well as necessary ancillary spaces.  The building is approximately 170 feet tall and encompasses approximately 65,000 gsf.

Read more

Gap + Old Navy Arrive at Times Square

Gap Inc. has opened its largest site in the world, a 70,000-square-foot location that houses side-by-side Gap and Old Navy flagships in Manhattan’s Times Square. It’s estimated that roughly 450,000 people pass through the area each day, or more than 50 million people per year. Built simultaneously, the two stores occupy most of the massive space that formerly housed the Toys “R” Us flagship, a previous GMS project, which closed at the end of 2015.

Read more

The Devil Is in the Details: Documenting Steel Connection Design

For structural steel connections, there are three different ways to show the details on the Structural Engineer’s drawings as defined by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual of Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges. This Code provides a “framework for a common understanding of the acceptable standards when contracting for structural steel.” 

Read more

2018 CTBUH Award Finalists by GMS

GMS is proud to have collaborated on two projects that placed as finalists in this year’s Tall + Urban Innovation awards. 35XV (35 West 15h Street) was recognized in the Best Tall Building category; 56 Leonard Street was recognized in the Best Construction category. The CTBUH Awards recognize projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.

Read more

150 Charles Street Wins AIA Housing Award

150 Charles Street has won this year’s AIA Housing Award in the category of Multifamily Housing. These awards, presented by the AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community, emphasize the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit, and a valuable national resource. Overlooking the Hudson River, this building’s design emphasizes direct access to nature while also providing a high quality indoor environmental.

Read more

Suitsupply Featured in Boston Globe

The European men’s fashion line Suitsupply will open its first Boston storefront at the address later this month, and will also operate a ground floor restaurant, Café Susu, at the location. It will be the brand’s 100th store, and the first time that the company has experimented with a cafe. Susu’s customers will have a view of the tailors as they do their alterations.

Read more

9/11 Memorial & Museum 5k Walk/Run

On Sunday April 22, GMS will field a team of 14, along with family and friends, for the 6th annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5k Run/Walk and Community Day in Battery Park City.  The event supports the 9/11 Memorial & Museum as a place to learn the history of 9/11 and honor this National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Read more

ATC-NIST Presents Blind Prediction Contest Findings at NASCC

At this year’s NASCC Steel Conference, organized by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in Baltimore, the Applied Technology Council (ATC) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) presented modeling techniques, quality assurance techniques, challenges and engineering decisions involved in the recent blind prediction contest held to advance knowledge on design and modelling of deep wide-flange columns.

Read more

Jennifer Lan Presents in EERI Webinar

Jennifer Lan was a panelist on an EERI Technical Case Studies Webinar, during which speakers who conducted reconnaissance following the September 19, 2017 Puebla-Morelos earthquake presented geotechnical and structural case studies. Jennifer’s presentation described the reconnaissance methodology and provided an in-depth analysis of building performance, using two buildings that were damaged during the earthquake as case studies.

Read more

GMS Engineers Collaborate on ASCE Design Standards for 2022

Ramon Gilsanz, Jennifer Lan, and Eugene Kim attended several committee meetings in Denver, CO, to help develop building design standards for the upcoming 2022 edition of ASCE/SEI 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. Standard ASCE/SEI 7 is an integral part of building codes in the United States and is adopted by reference into the International Building Code, the International Existing Building Code, the International Residential Code, and the NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code.

Read more

Holiday Wishes

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year!
— from all of us at GMS

Flatiron Reflection by Future Expansion is the 2017 winning design for the Flatiron Holiday Design Competition, a collaboration of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and the Van Alen Institute. GMS is proud to work with Future Expansion and The New Motor, to deliver this holiday gift to our neighbors. Special thanks to GMS team members Cathy Huang, Amanda Eldridge, Isaac Epstein, Dana Saba and Bryan Torres. Photography courtesy of ©Noah Kalina

Please visit Flatiron Plaza at East 23rd Street & Broadway, New York, now until January 1, 2018.

Read more

Mexico City, Day 5 – Structural Monitoring and Reconnaissance Review

On Friday, the members of the ATC reconnaissance team reviewed their individual observations. Specific buildings were also identified for ongoing monitoring.<!–more–>

Having reached out to local engineers, building owners and residents, the team received helpful information about the earthquake itself, as well as the consequent building performance. Some residents invited our team members into their apartments to see the damage in person. The 9/19/17 earthquake caused structural damage — damage to buildings — precipitating 44 collapses. Many buildings also experienced non-structural structural damage (i.e. the shaking of contents within the buildings), or damage caused by geotechnical failure.

On this day, Laura Hernandez also assisted University at Buffalo Professor, Andreas Stavridis, with the instrumented inspection and measurement of a damaged building. Prof. Stavridis, member of the ATC team, conducted instrumented investigations of one building each day throughout this reconnaissance trip.

Read more

Mexico City, Day 3 – Teams Investigate Building Damage

On Wednesday, the ATC reconnaissance team sub-groups were rearranged. Ramon and Jennifer’s group visited the Condesa neighborhood in the northern part of the city. Here the team assessed two buildings, one of which suffered some damage, and the other nearly none. Another group, including Laura Hernandez, focused on the southern area of Mexico City where they saw several structures with distinct damage

Read more

Mexico City, Day 2 – Engineers review Seismic Standards and Inspection Procedures

GMS engineers and the other members of the Applied Technology Council (ATC) reconnaissance team arrived in Mexico City and coordinated their plan of action to study the effects of the 9/19/2017 earthquake on building structures. The first morning, they met at the WSP office to organize the reconnaissance for that day. In order to maximize the use of the researchers’ time, the team was divided into three smaller groups. Each went to a different section in the city to evaluate damage.

Read more

Mexico City, Day 1 – Engineers Embark on Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance Mission

GMS engineers departed for Mexico City on Monday to be joined by remaining members of the Applied Technology Council (ATC) reconnaissance team reviewing the aftermath of the 9/19/2017 earthquake. The goal of this reconnaissance mission is to perform detailed assessments of reinforced concrete structures with all levels of damage. The reconnaissance will focus on identifying the likely cause of collapse in concrete buildings that performed poorly, and the likely cause of good performance in non-collapsed buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Read more

GMS Engineers on ATC Reconnaissance Team Deployed to Assess Mexico City Aftermath

Mexico is one of the world’s most seismically active regions, sitting atop several intersecting tectonic plates. On September 19, 2017, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the Greater Mexico City area killing 370 people and collapsing 40 buildings. The quake occurred on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed around 10,000 people. The 1985 quake was commemorated, and a national earthquake drill was held, at 11 a.m. local time, just two hours before the 2017 earthquake. Twelve days earlier, the even larger 2017 Chiapas earthquake struck 400 miles away, off the coast of the state of Chiapas.

In support of ongoing U.S. Government-funded research and development projects in earthquake engineering, the Applied Technology Council (ATC) Endowment Fund is sponsoring a team of experts to investigate the performance of buildings in Mexico City following the event.

Read more

White & Case Featured in Interior Design

GMS provided structural engineering services for this 440,000 SF interior renovation and re-stack of 9 floors in the McGraw-Hill Building at 1221 Avenue of the Americas. Project included structural modifications and reinforcement for a monumental stairway, health club, full service kitchen and dining area, UPS and data center, as well as roof dunnage and shaft openings for new HVAC equipment.

Read more

529 Broadway Featured in the New York Times

This new 6-story commercial building in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District replaces a two-story taxpayer building. The new steel framed structure, designed by BKSK Architects, features a terra cotta rain screen and glass curtain wall facade system that transitions along the building perimeter from punched windows representative of an earlier masonry era, to a more open open frame emblematic of SoHo’s later cast-iron era. The entire 52,000 square foot building is leased by Nike. According to the New York Times, “design fans should soon be recognizing it as one of the most exciting and intelligent structures to be built for decades, anywhere.”

Read more

YIMBY spotlights 122 East 23rd Street

New development is an infrequent occurrence in the East 20s, but from 121 East 22nd Street through to 122 East 23rd Street, Toll Brothers City Living is almost finished on their latest project, designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. GMS is providing exterior envelope consulting services for this new mid-rise residential condominium building.

Read more

Jonathan Hernandez – President-Elect of SEAoNY

Jonathan Hernandez, GMS Partner, was inducted as the President-Elect for the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) for 2017-2018. The ceremony occurred during SEAoNY’s Annual Meeting, held at the Center For Architecture in New York on September 14, 2017.<!–more–>

The purpose of SEAoNY is to advance the art of structural engineering in New York by improving the flow of ideas and building the community of colleagues. SEAoNY also reaches out to other professionals, outside the engineering community, who work in related fields with common interests. The association sponsors workshops, panel discussions, lectures and seminars with the aim of addressing topics of interest and concern to structural engineers. SEAoNY is a member organization of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA). Jonathan is also a member of the NCSEA Board of Directors.

Read more

20 Years!

In the past few weeks, FIVE of our colleagues celebrated a work anniversary at GMS.

Many thanks to Juan Escobar, Carl Zanier, Tim Barnard, partner Joe Basel, and Ken Chu for their hard work and creativity over the last 20 years.

Each has helped form our firm and nurture our next generation of structural engineers.

 

Thank you!

Read more

New Professional Engineers for 2017!

GMS is very proud to recognize our engineers who have successfully attained their Professional Engineer (PE) licenses this summer: (photo from left) Carolyn Bai, PE, Isaac Epstein, PE, Sanaz Saadat, PhD, PE, Daniel Gleave, PE, and Akbar Mahvashmohammadi, PhD, PE.

Read more

GMS Participates in 2017 ACE Mentor Program

GMS is again sponsoring the ACE Greater New York Mentor Program. Our staff serve as mentors to three teams of high school students to expose them to careers in Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE). GMS staff have proudly participated in the ACE Mentoring Program within the greater New York City region, the founding affiliate of this national organization, since 2006.

Read more

New Rain Screen at Adidas Flagship

The largest of its stores globally, Adidas’ new North American flagship at 565 Fifth Avenue in New York City spans four floors, including a lower level,  and occupies approximately 45,000 sf. The overall design was conceived with the theme of sports and high school stadiums. In particular, the entry tunnel, reminiscent of a stadium entry, is made up almost entirely of glass with some stainless steel hardware and connectors; this load bearing glass structure at street level includes a glass ceiling and glass walls. The previous storefront was replaced with new glass panels spanning over 16 feet, supported only at the base and the head.

Read more

Nike Soho (529 Broadway)

In our last issue, we showed you the exterior of 529 Broadway, the new building at Broadway and Spring Street in NYC’s Soho neighborhood, designed by BKSK Architects. Now we want to show you the interior fit-out, Nike’s new five story 55,000 square foot retail experience, with accessory office space and a roof terrace, designed by Nike with TPG Architecture.

Read more

Stapleton Library Wins 2017 AIA/ALA Award

Every year, the American Institute of Architects partners with the American Library Association/Library Leadership and Management Association to honor the best in library architecture and design across the nation. The AIA/ALA Library Building Award is the only award that recognizes entire library structures and all aspects of their design. One of this year’s eight awards was bestowed upon Stapleton Library for its reconstruction and new addition.

Read more

GMS Attends EERI 69th Annual Meeting

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s (EERI) mission is to reduce earthquake risk by advancing the science and practice of earthquake engineering; improving understanding of the impact of earthquakes on the physical, social, economic, political, and cultural environment; and advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes.

Read more

529 Broadway

This new 6-story commercial building in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District replaces a two-story taxpayer building. The new steel framed structure, designed by BKSK Architects, features a terra cotta rain screen and glass curtain wall facade system that transitions along the building perimeter from punched windows representative of an earlier masonry era, to a more open open frame emblematic of SoHo’s later cast-iron era. The entire 52,000 square foot building is leased by Nike. Photo above ©Chris Payne/Esto

Read more

252 East 57th Street

252 East 57th Street is a 60-story luxury mixed-use tower in Midtown Manhattan. The building’s residential program is organized with 173 rental units on the lower floors and 93 high-end, two- to five-bedroom condominiums on the 26th floor and above. Residential amenities include elegant porte cochère, automated parking, a double-height residents’ lounge, and a private spa with a 75-foot indoor swimming pool. The commercial component of the development includes retail and a public school.

Read more

75 Rockefeller Plaza

75 Rockefeller Plaza is a landmarked 34-story steel moment frame building constructed in 1947 for Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. It is situated in the heart of Rockefeller Center on 51st Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. It totals 623,000 square feet, with typical floor size ranging from 14,000 – 30,000 square feet.

Read more

gNYC – 1700 Broadway

In October 2016, Gensler relocated over 600 employees to 1700 Broadway between 53rd and 54th Streets in New York’s Theater District. Their new space includes the second through sixth floors, providing a total of 120,000 square feet of office area. This new workplace is designed around Gensler’s workplace research, and incorporates an abundance of amenities, conference rooms and specialized meeting areas.

Read more

GMS Presents at 16WCEE in Santiago, Chile

The 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, organized by the International Association of Earthquake Engineering took place from 9th January to the 13th January 2017 in Santiago, Chile. The conference covered engineering seismology, tsunamis, geotechnical earthquake engineering, design of new structures, assessment and retrofitting of existing structures, infrastructure and lifeline systems, preparedness and emergency management of large earthquakes, as well as social and economic aspects, and urban risk assessment.

Read more

“Tales of Our Time” Exhibit Opens at the Guggenheim Museum

“Tales of Our Time” brings together a diverse group of younger artists to offer a broader view of the next wave in Chinese contemporary art. The artists examine conditions in contemporary China through approaches that often blur the distinction between fact and fiction. Employing media from ink painting to animatronics, they conceive of China more as a concept than as an identity, eschewing easy associations and symbols.

Read more

CANctuary Wins at 24th Annual CANstruction Competition

CANctuary, a structure of cans of tuna fish, designed by engineers and architects at GMS and currently on view at Brookfield Place, as won the Cheri Award of the 24th annual Canstruction competition.

Canstruction is an international charity competition where 26 teams of architects, engineers, contractors and the students they mentor, competed this year to design and build giant structures made entirely from cans of food. At the close of the competition all of the food from the New York City competition will be donated to City Harvest.

Read more

GMS Presents to SEAoNY about Global Trends in Earthquake Resilience

On October 18, 2016, Ramon Gilsanz of GMS presented to the members of the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) about global trends in earthquake design and resilience.

The lecture looked at common features of buildings in a variety of regions across the world which are prone to earthquakes. Such features include weak ground stories, considerations for adding new floors, alterations and enlargement of existing buildings and the potential for soil failures like liquefaction and lateral spreading. Using his experience from earthquake reconnaissance trips to Chile, Virginia, Greece, Taiwan and Ecuador, Mr. Gilsanz then discussed the impact of resilience in structures, specifically how to apply lessons from other cultures to improve the built environment here in New York City. He concluded with a review of the NYC Building Code provisions for resilience.

 

Read more

GEER and ATC Publish Ecuador Earthquake Reconnaisance Report

On the evening of April 16th, 2016, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northern Ecuador, offshore from its west coast. The event drew the attention of the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association, due to the several hundred casualties, tens of thousands homeless, and destruction along the west coast, with evidence of severe ground motions and geotechnical failures.

Read more

GMS Presents at 2016 SEAOC Convention

Jessica Mandrick presented at the SEAOC Technical Session on the recent Taiwan Meinong earthquake.

Jessica Mandrick, SE presented fifth in the Session titled Learning from the 2014 South Napa and 2016 Tainan Earthquakes during the 2016 Annual Conference of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), October 12-15 in Ka’anapali Beach, Maui. The focus of this session was to highlight the lessons learned during the GMS and USGS reconnaissance trip to Tainan, which took place in February 2016 in collaboration with EERI, ATC, and NCREE. The team visited the city of Tainan and its vicinity to survey, study, and document damage and site-related observations from the recent 6.4 Meinong Earthquake. The focus of the paper/presentation included observed design and construction issues as well as the societal response to the earthquake.

Read more

GMS Provides AIA Continuing Education

GMS is very excited to announce that we are now a continuing education provider in The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System.

Our first course, Understanding Resilience through a Musical Analogy can be presented in person by Ramon Gilsanz, author of the STRUCTURE magazine article upon which this presentation is based. The course is accredited for 1 Learning Unit of Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW)-related training (1LU/HSW).

Read more

GMS Engineers Receive PE & SE Credentials

GMS is proud to announce that Associate Jessica Mandrick (photo center) is now a registered Structural Engineer in California! Jessica is an active member of the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute’s Young Professionals Committee and serves on the editorial board of STRUCTURE magazine.

We would also like to congratulate several of our engineers for successfully attaining their Professional Engineer (PE) licenses: (photo from left) Ana Gallego, PE, Scott Sternad, PE, Jeff Knecht, PE, Alissa Oelsner, PE.

Read more

GMS at International Workshop on Connections in Steel Structures

Ramon Gilsanz and Akbar Mahvashmohammadi attended the Eighth International Workshop on Connections in Steel Structures (Connections VIII). Researchers, designers, fabricators and steel industry representatives gathered in Boston on May 24-26, 2016 to collaborate and share knowledge within the areas of strength, behavior, fabrication and design of connections for structural steel and composite steel/concrete frames.

Read more

Karl Rubenacker Proposes Code Revisions at ICC Committee Action Hearings

From 4/17 to 4/27, the International Code Council (ICC) convened the 2016 Committee Action Hearings in Louisville, KY to review the International Building Code (IBC), and other International Codes. On behalf of the Structural Engineers Association of New York, Karl Rubenacker, co-chair of SEAoNY’s Codes and Standards Committee and partner at GMS, presented 7 proposals for revisions to structural design provisions (chapter 16) of the 2015 IBC. If adopted, these proposals would be incorporated into the 2018 IBC. Proposals included revisions to regulations regarding construction documents, load combinations, live loads, special inspections, as well as an entire new section on structural peer review.

Read more

GMS Travels to Ecuador for Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance

On Saturday, April 16, 2016 a massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake rocked Muisne, Ecuador, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). GMS’s Ramon Gilsanz and Virginia Diaz traveled to Ecuador to help in relief efforts, assist other rescuers and collect data on the performance of structures during the event. The reconnaissance trip was coordinated by Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (GEER), sponsored by the National Science Foundation, with additional support from the Applied Technology Council (ATC).

Read more

GMS Presents at International Tall Buildings Conference in Milan

Earlier this week, Gary Steficek, founding partner of Gilsanz Murray Steficek, spoke at the 6th annual IUAV International Conference on Tall Buildings in Milan. The program was divided into two sessions, one on new technologies and a second on new uses for existing tall buildings. His presentation, “Reinventing Woolworth: Adaptive Reuse of an Historic Skyscraper,” was part of the Existing Structures Session.

Read more

GMS Sponsors 2016 ACE Mentor Teams

GMS is again sponsoring the ACE Greater New York Mentor Program Team #6 (Manhattan) and Team #35 (Long Island). Our staff serve as mentors to high school students to expose them to careers in Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE). GMS staff have proudly participated in the ACE Mentoring Program within the greater New York City region, the founding affiliate of this national organization, since 2006.

Read more

Virgin Hotel Breaks Ground

The new Virgin Hotel New York broke ground last fall and construction is on track for opening in 2018. This 39-story, tower will occupy the full block between 29th and 30th Streets along the west side of Broadway in NoMad (north of Madison Square), Manhattan, halfway between Herald Square and Madison Square in the Flatiron district.

Read more

Achim Hermes and Jose Mendoza Promoted within GMS Leadership

The Partners of Gilsanz Murray Steficek are pleased to announce our 2016 promotions.

Achim Hermes, PE has been promoted to Partner, joining Joe Blanchfield and Susanne Mackiw to lead our Building Envelope team. He specializes in curtain wall and window consulting including involvement in all phases of design and construction. Achim has worked on a wide range of projects, both new construction and renovation, including new curtainwalls for the Pierhouse at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, 150 Charles Street and the office building at 510 Madison Avenue.

Jose Mendoza has been promoted to Associate. Jose has worked with our Building Envelope team since 2006 after obtaining his Architecture degree from the University of Sevilla and working in Spain. He specializes in façade investigation, curtain wall and window consulting through all phases of design and construction. His projects include the new JetBlue Terminal at JFK and One Jackson Square residences in Greenwich Village.

Read more

GMS Visits Taiwan for Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance

Last month a team including Gilsanz Murray Steficek (GMS) engineers Ramon Gilsanz, Cathy Huang, Jessica Mandrick and Joe Mugford, Cerea Steficek from the Earth Sciences department at Northeastern University and Mehmet Celebi from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) accompanied by Sheng-Jhih Jhuang from the National Center of Research for Earthquake Engineering in Taiwan (NCREE) visited the earthquake stricken city of Tainan and vicinity to survey, study and document damage and site-related observations from the recent 6.4 Meinong Earthquake. GMS coordinated this effort with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), and the Applied Technology Council (ATC).

Read more

GMS Attends 2016 Geotechnical & Structural Engineering Congress

Ramon Gilsanz, Phil Murray, Jonathan Hernandez, Jessica Mandrick, Sanaz Saadat, Joshua Peng, Mark Beltramello and John Hinchcliffe attended the 2016 Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Congress in Phoenix, Arizona. This unique Congress was a joint endeavor of two sectors within the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Geotechnical Institute (G-I) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI).

Read more

Vicki Arbitrio Elected President of ATC

At the annual Organizational Board meeting on January 29, 2016, the Applied Technology Council (ATC) Board of Directors elected officers for the Year 2016. Ms. Victoria Arbitrio of Gilsanz Murray Steficek LLP, New York City, New York, was elected President. During her five years on the Board, Vicki has served as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President, and on numerous ATC Board Committees.

Read more

Barneys Helical Stair

After a 22-year absence, upscale retailer, Barneys, is making a comeback in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. This stair is just one part of a four-story renovation project by Barneys in Chelsea. Watch a time-lapse of the construction process.

Read more

US Resiliency Council Launches Building Rating System

The US Resiliency Council has launched the USRC Earthquake Building Rating System. The Rating System assigns one to five stars for three performance measures—Safety, Damage (repair cost) and Recovery (time to regain basic function). This first-of-its-kind performance rating is based on decades of earthquake engineering research and observations of earthquake damage. GMS staff members Ramon Gilsanz, Karl Rubenacker, Joseph Mugford and Jennifer Lan have been certified as USRC raters. Ramon and Karl are also certified as USRC reviewers.

Read more

GMS Projects Win 2015 NY Design Awards

The New York Design Awards celebrate creativity, courage and innovation in design from the perspective of both creator and commissioner. The awards provide a distinctive opportunity for all sectors of the industry to participate across an extensive range of categories and achieve marketplace recognition. GMS projects received Gold Awards in various categories.

Read more

GMS Hosts Students from Buffalo with EERI

On November 20, the NY Northeast chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) organized a trip to New York City for students from SUNY Buffalo. GMS was pleased to host the group at our office for an afternoon of insights into the structural engineering profession, innovative project case studies, and a session of “speed interviews” to help these students hone in on their career options.

The two-day excursion was organized in collaboration with Mueser Rutledge and also included a tour of the United States Tennis Association in Flushing, Queens, and the World Trade Center Memorial in Manhattan.

Read more

GMS Participates in Structure Quest 2015

Congratulations to several of GMS’s newest members on their successful Structure-Quest competition on Saturday! GMS engineers Itay, Paola, Adela, Daniel and Ricardo are shown here with their 3rd place medals in front of Cooper Union.  They teamed with students from NYU.

Read more

520 West 28th Street

520 West 28th Street

Zaha Hadid and Related Companies’ new residential building adjacent to the High Line has been in the news over the past few weeks. The condominium will have 39 residences, automated underground parking and a wide range of amenities including a 2,500-square-foot planted sculpture terrace.

Read more

Ramon Gilsanz Celebrates Professor Kausel at MIT

On October 26, 2015, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology held a Rapid-Fire Conference to celebrate the accomplishments of Professor Eduardo Kausel over 40 years in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The “Rapid-Fire Conference @MIT” was a day full of enlightening talks and intellectual discourse on important engineering and scientific issues of our times. The occasion sought to bring together colleagues Prof. Kausel had met in the academic community throughout the years that had influenced his own work.

Read more

Tour GMS Projects in “Archtober” 2015

SculptureCenter and the carousel enclosure at the Staten Island Zoo will be featured in this year’s Archtober. Archtober (ärk’tōbər) is New York City’s Architecture and Design Month, the fifth annual month-long festival of architecture activities, programs and exhibitions taking place during the month of October. Through special tours, lectures and exhibitions, Archtober raises awareness of the important role of design in our city and to build a lasting civic and international recognition of the richness of New York’s built environment.

Read more

GMS Projects Featured at Open House New York 2015

On Saturday 10/17 and Sunday 10/18, the Annual Open House New York Weekend will unlock the doors of New York’s most important buildings, offering an extraordinary opportunity to experience the city and meet the people who design, build, and preserve New York.  From historical to contemporary, residential to industrial, hundreds of sites across the five boroughs are open to visit, with tours, talks, performances, and other special events taking place over the course of OHNY Weekend. Through the unparalleled access that it enables, OHNY Weekend deepens our understanding of the importance of architecture and urban design to foster a more vibrant civic life, and helps catalyze a citywide conversation about how to build a better New York.

Read more

150 Charles Street

The luxury residential development at 150 Charles Street in Manhattan’s West Village is nearing completion. 98 condominium units with estimated asking prices ranging from $4-$40 million (or approximately $7,000 per square foot) comprise the 300,000 square-foot building, situated on an acre lot. The project incorporates the structure of the existing 4-story Whitehall warehouse for the lower podium floors. Above, two towers are joined by a middle volume and cascade down to the Hudson River, allowing for spectacular views.

Read more

QLIC

QLIC, the residential development at Queens Plaza North between 23rd and 24th Streets in Long Island City, is almost finished. The 21-story tower holds 421 rental units, double-height retail at grade and parking below grade. The building’s 28,000 SF of amenity space includes a rooftop pool, cabanas, a roof deck with an open-air theater and barbecue, a landscaped courtyard with a fire pit, media lounge, game room, fitness center, and other amenities on an occupied terrace.

Read more

GMS Wins Soccer Championship!

Last night, the GMS Strikers won the ZogSports winter soccer championship!  Our team played two games last night to clinch the top spot. After losing our previous game against the Raging Sloth’s, we came back with vengeance to win 5-2. Our second game versus Band of Misfits was a close call but was secured with last quarter goals by Jeff and Harrison. As winners of the championship, our charity, SEAoNY, will receive $1,500. Congratulations to the victorious Strikers!

Read more

Understanding Seismic Design through a Musical Analogy

Seismologists, earthquake engineers and seismic code experts understand the science of earth that moves and the structures built on it, but many of the concepts involved may be too abstract for architects, builders and the public. This article offers an analogy to help explain seismic design and presents three different construction techniques used in Chile, Japan and the United States that counter an earthquake’s effects.

Read more

Louis Vuitton Renovation Complete

Louis Vuitton’s store at 1 East 57th Street has a brand new look. The Fifth Avenue entrance lobby of this flagship location has been expanded, and features a new canopy along with full-height showcase windows. The previous “wonder wall” has been reclad with stone clad aluminum honeycomb panel assemblies with integral light pockets and display vitrines.

Read more

Challenges Facing Young Structural Engineers

By Jessica Mandrick, P.E., LEED AP and JasonMcCormick, PhD., with the SEI Young Professionals Committee

As current leaders in structural engineering approach the end of their careers, it is increasingly important that young professionals take active measures to step into leadership roles. Leadership transition plays a vital role in the profession, but always brings with it challenges that differ from those of past generations. This article highlights select challenges identified by the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute’s Young Professionals Committee.

Read more

Prefabricated Facade Panel System at Abington House

The reason we became engineers and technical architects is that we love to make things better – we learn how things work, take things apart and fix them! So a trip to the factory to see how things that we have designed are actually being constructed is always exciting. For a recent project, we did just that.

Read more

837 Washington Featured in Modern Steel Construction

Situated across the street from the High Line Park, 837 Washington Street is a six-story office and retail development designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and built by Sciame Construction for Thor Equities and Taconic Investment Partners. Gilsanz Murray Steficek (GMS), which served as structural design engineer, was intensely involved in the construction phase and provided special inspection services including steel erection and structural safety. The building is a new torquing tower that rises out of an existing two-story Art Moderne style brick warehouse built in 1938, which was once part of the Gansevoort Market.

Read more

QLIC Tops Out

QLIC 41-42 24 Street

The residential development at Queens Plaza North between 23rd and 24th Street in Long Island City has topped out. GMS is providing structural engineering and building envelope services for this new, 319,000 sf, twenty-one story high residential building.

Read more

NeueHouse Featured in Interior Design: “Working It”

GMS provided structural engineering services for the office renovations on the Ground, Second, Third, Fourth and Basement levels at 110 East 25th Street. This included structural design for two new mechanical mezzanines, framing design for new glass skylights through the sloped roof at the rear of the ground floor, framing design to close off an existing stairwell opening, and framing design for miscellaneous slab openings and floor penetrations. GMS also reviewed the support and design for the new metal framed ground floor public seating area.

Read more

GMS Wins Award for Outstanding Public Service

Our firm is honored to receive this year’s Outstanding Public Service Award, which recognizes an outstanding company who has contributed significantly to New York and its communities.

Read more

GMS Welcomes Summer Interns

Pictured above, from left,

Back row: Eitan Selter (Cooper Union), Michael Pugliese (joining GMS as a full-time engineer), Jacob Venditto (George Washington University), Christian Hoelzli (Villanova University), Luke Gleason (University of CT)

Middle row: Min Jeong Kang (Cooper Union), Erica Freeman (Columbia University),

Front row: Zachary White (John Hopkins University), Brian Bansrupan (New Jersey Institute of Technology), Dominic Lore (West Virginia University), Charles Iselin (Columbia University)

Read more