HELMARK STEEL 9/13/07 3:25 PM Page 200
HELMARK STEEL INC.
above will not see any loading, and all of
the load will be transferred directly to the
piles and down to the bedrock the piles
are driving to be in contact with. This
more complex floor system has a re-
duced bearing capacity, which makes
running a mobile crane on it to set the
girders that are outside the capacity of
the tower crane quite difficult.
Getting this engineering done ahead of
the concrete pour was imperative to our
plan for getting the steel set quickly and
efficiently, rather than being forced to
fabricate the plate girders in sections and
splice the pieces together in the field. We
have had to upsize piles and increase the
rebar in the pressure slab to ensure the
outrigger reactions will not damage the
slab when we are setting the girders. But,
200 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ OCTOBER 2007
the cost of this work is significantly less
than what it would have cost to do the
splicing option.
CT: Did you experience any delays?
EG: Constant changes in the building
design have (also) brought on significant
steel detailing inefficiencies, and a delay-
ed release for material procurement has
delayed the steel portion of the project.
All schedule impacts for changes are
addressed with the construction manager
to ensure everyone is on the same page
before we proceed with a change.
Steel shapes – especially larger mem-
bers – have a very long lead time, so it is
important not to lengthen or add large
framing to a job when making design
changes after materials (have) been pro-
cured. The design team and the construc-
tion manager work very closely with us
via e-mail, phone and meetings to ensure
we are all on the same page with respect
to the dynamics of the project as things
move closer to the start of erection.
CT: Any unanticipated challenges you
have had to deal with?
EG: Soil contamination, buried utilities
and structures that were not anticipated
prior to the start of excavation have
delayed the start of our work.
Recently, the uncovering of a large
buried granite bulkhead that originally
was at the East River’s edge, a sheet pile
wall, and underground utilities were all
discovered by the excavator and will
push back the start of our work on site.
They must be dealt with prior to the
concrete pile caps with the column
anchor bolts, the pressure slab and
remaining concrete work that needs to
be completed before we mobilize on site.
CT: What were the the keys to winning
this job?
EG: We specialize in high-rise work, and
this is a fairly typical job that we are very
comfortable fabricating and erecting. The
key to us winning the contract was, of
course, the value that (prime) Turner (Con-
struction) knew they were getting when
they awarded us the job.
We worked closely with the Turner
team to ensure we had the scope of work
nailed down prior to putting in our best
number. We have worked on a number
of jobs with Turner New York in the past
and have a very good working relation-
ship with their firm.
CT: Helmark has an erection affiliate,
Falcon Steel Co. What types of experi-
ences does Falcon bring to the company?
EG: Falcon Steel Co. has vast experience
in many types of steel structures, includ-
ing commercial building, industrial
buildings, stadiums, rigging, millwright
work, metal siding, decking and structur-
al renovations.
Falcon’s specialty is high-rise steel
buildings and our joint portfolio includes
buildings up to 60 stories in height.
Falcon owns seven self-climbing tower
cranes – internal and external jacking –
with luffing booms, as well as numerous
other pieces of equipment.
Falcon’s core personnel are very experi-
enced and more than capable to handle
the most difficult projects. ■