GMS teams are bringing the energy, from big wins to kicking off new seasons!

Introduction

In cities like Manhattan, where urban development and water bodies converge, floodproofing of structures is not just a regulatory requirement but a crucial aspect of building design. The coastal geography of New York City is considered highly vulnerable to flooding from extreme weather conditions. As we witness climate change and sea level rise, we anticipate flood risks to increase.

In a recent AIA NY presentation on flood and hurricane mitigation, a panel of experts, including building envelope consultants, a structural engineer, and an architect, shared their insights on addressing the challenges posed by extreme weather events in New York City. The discussion covered Flood Zone and Wind-Borne Debris Region designations, relevant building codes, and real-world applications, highlighting critical construction details from ongoing projects.

In this article, we will focus on Daniel Kinsley’s portion of the presentation, where he shared his expertise on flood mitigation for building envelopes. A future article will summarize Jessica Mandrick’s structural engineering perspective. GMS has completed several projects that showcase innovative floodproofing strategies to enhance building resilience and safety.

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.

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

As a fun exercise, can you guess the correct percentage of women in our office here at GMS?

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 8^th.

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.”

GMS held our annual Holiday Party at Mustang Harry’s on December 12^th, 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.

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 16^th to chat and enjoy a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.

GMS was honored to receive one of Anchin’s Construction, Design, & Real Estate Industry Impact Awards for 2023. The award was presented by Anchin Accountants and Advisors, as well as their partners: the New York Building Congress, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York, the Subcontractors Trade Association, and The Real Deal.

GMS is thrilled that Casimir Bognacki, PE, FACI has joined our firm as a Principal! (Some of you met him a few weeks ago when he taught the ACI Grade 1 Concrete Inspector class here in the office.)

The GMS Team has published another article in Structure Magazine! This latest contribution, authored by Hannah Garfield, PE, and May Thu Nwe Nwe, PhD, elaborates on the benefits of modeling kits as teaching tools for students.

The March issue of Structure Magazine features an article by GMS Principal Forensic Engineer Dan Eschenasy entitled “Underlying Causes of Exterior Sign Accidents.”

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.

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.

Yesterday GMS Partner Jessica Mandrick was named one of ENR New York’s 20 Top Young Professionals. She was cited as “An advocate for sustainable structures in a changing environment.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

GMS is very happy and proud to announce that Jessica Mandrick and Joe Mugford have been promoted to Partners.

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.

We are very happy and proud to announce that Jose Mendoza passed his exam to become an NFRC Certified Simulator!  Jose will receive a National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) number as a Certified Simulator and he will be able to simulate/rate fenestration products. Jose’s name will also appear on the NFRC website as a certified simulator.

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:

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.

Eugene Kim, GMS Associate Partner, was inducted as the President-Elect for the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) for 2020-2021. The ceremony occurred during SEAoNY’s Annual Meeting, held virtually on September 22, 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

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

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!

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.

Last Tuesday, September 24  SEAoNY celebrated their Annual Meeting of 2019.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

GMS Partners Joseph Basel, PE and Gary Steficek, PE will travel to Shenzhen, China later this week, for the CTBUH 2019 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference.

Basel will present on The Future of Tall Building Renovation, and Steficek will chair the Jury for the 2019 CTBUH Renovation Awards.

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

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!

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

Please join GMS’s Associate Partner Ken Oen, P.E. at the presentation and discussion, “Too Big To Fail: Revitalizing Our Iconic Skyscrapers” at the Chicago Architecture Center on November 29, 2018. More information here: https://www.architecture.org/programs-events/detail/too-big-to-fail-revitalizing-our-iconic-skyscrapers/

“My Kingdom for a CAN,” a structure of cans of sardines, designed by engineers and architects at GMS, is on display at Brookfield Place at the 26th annual Canstruction competition. This structure’s 5,076 cans will feed 1,275 New Yorkers.

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 22^nd, 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.”

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.

Joe Mugford presented lessons learned from the column transfers designed by GMS for 75 Rockefeller Plaza at the 52^nd annual convention of the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA). The top-to-bottom overhaul of this landmark, built in 1947 includes new double-height glazing and upgraded entry. A reconfigured lobby required the transfer of four existing building columns. 

At GMS, we view active involvement in professional societies as a key way to develop and retain bright young talent. We are proud to have seven employees participating in various ASCE/SEI 7-22 and ASCE/SEI 24-20 committees and subcommittees for the latest code cycles.

Several of our engineers traveled to Fort Worth, TX, to attend the 2018 Structures Congress, where engineers are inspired, connect with leaders in the profession, and learn from experts. The congress is organized annually by the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

On Sunday April 22, GMS will field a team of 14, along with family and friends, for the 6^th 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.

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.

Ramon Gilsanz, Cathy Huang and Joshua Peng attended committee meetings at this year’s American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete Convention and Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT. The convention provides the industry with a professional environment where individuals from across the globe come together to share new ideas and discover innovative ways to use concrete.

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.

The Partners of Gilsanz Murray Steficek are very happy to announce the following promotions:
Eugene Kim, Jennifer Lan, Ken Oen, Jessica Mandrick and Joe Mugford to Associate Partner and Andrew Dolan and Virginia Diaz Taibo to Associate. We are proud that they are on our team and we greatly appreciate their leadership, dedication and technical excellence.

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.

“Snorlax the Sleeping PoCANmon,” a structure of cans of tuna fish, designed by engineers and architects at GMS, is on display at Brooklfield Place at the 25th annual Canstruction competition.

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.

On Thursday Laura’s team continued its route around the southern neighborhoods. They continuously saw buildings with nonstructural masonry infill walls that seemed to have acted as lateral resisting elements, evident by the in-plane 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Several of our engineers ventured to Denver, CO, to present their papers, studies and projects at this year’s Structures Congress. The congress is organized annually by the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

GMS Associate Jessica Mandrick wrote an opinion in the STRUCTURE magazine column, Structural Forum.

Natural disasters devastate communities, destroy structures, halt livelihoods, and take lives. With each event, engineers aim to improve our practices to lessen the impact of future incidents. Reconnaissance trips following natural or manmade disasters can provide a valuable education.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 3^rd place medals in front of Cooper Union.  They teamed with students from NYU.

GMS unveiled the Magic 8 Ball at Brookfield Place for the 23rd annual Canstruction competition. The sculpture has received this year’s honorable mention award.

Three GMS staff members have been elected to various offices in the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations, the Structural Engineers Association of New York, and Structure Magazine.

Go Strikers! GMS is proud of its soccer team for winning a “Play for your Cause” charity award this Spring 2015 season.

Gilsanz Murray Steficek is proud that our Partner, Susanne Mackiw, AIA has been inducted to the NAPW VIP Woman of the Year Circle and featured in the June 2015 Member Spotlight!

Ramon Gilsanz was interviewed by the History Channel for their series Engineering Disasters.

Every year the ASCE Metropolitan Section Structures Group hosts a four evening Seminar that focuses on the most interesting construction projects and structural engineering topics.
GMS staff gave several presentations at this year’s seminar.

Several of our engineers ventured to Portland, OR, last week to present their papers, studies and cases at the 2015 Structures Congress. This congress is organized by the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

We are pleased to announce the following promotions to our firm’s leadership team!

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!

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.

GMS is honored to receive this year’s Best Use of Labels award for “StaTUNA of Liberty,” its submission to the 22nd annual Canstruction competition!

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.

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.

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)