Delric Construction Company Inc.: Staten Island Courthouse

That other New York island  New Jersey-based Delric Construction Company Inc. won the general contract to help the City and State of New York build a new, modern courthouse on Staten Island. Keith Regan learns from the senior project manager on site how the work resembles a Manhattan building project and how Delric is working with an elite group of contractors to bring the ambitious construction task to fruition on time and on budget.  It will be May 2012 before the new Staten Island court complex being built through a partnership of the City of New York and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) is fully complete. But the project is already promising to dramatically change the urban neighborhood where it is located. The structureÔÇÖs four towers of justice rise over a site that also includes a public green space and a memorial to the 19th-century burial grounds for the former St. George quarantine hospital that was once located there, which was the main entry point for immigrants before Ellis Island was opened in 1892.  The courthouse will help augment older structures used by the stateÔÇÖs Supreme Court division that are far too small for their current use, with space for both civil and criminal courts as well as offices for the Department of Probation and the Richmond County District Attorney. The single edifice is designed to evoke classical ideals of justice in a modern building that will seek Silver-level certification from the US Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs LEED program, with features such as a green roof and low-water plants and plumbing fixtures, a rainwater collection system for irrigation purposes, and extensive use of glass curtain walls to provide daylighting in as many spaces as possible. The glass and precast concrete structureÔÇöwith glass-walled towers meant to recall the stone pillars on an existing court building nearbyÔÇöand an adjacent public green space have already garnered a 2008 Design Award from the New York City Public Commission. The courthouse project totals $220 million, which includes the recently completed 600-car parking facility. The courthouseÔÇÖs general contractor is the charge of Delric Construction Company and the other prime contractorsÔÇöZwicker Electric, Lafata Corallo Plumbing & Heating, Henick-Lane HVAC and Beaubois MillworkÔÇöwere all selected through a competitive public bidding process to become the contractors on the site. Delric has done relatively little work in the boroughs of New York City, but it has assembled a project team that knows how to navigate the urban landscape, both in terms of regulatory bodies as well as the sheer logistical challenges posed by urban work, says senior project manager Jay McKenney. ÔÇ£Logistically, itÔÇÖs a nightmare,ÔÇØ McKenney says. ÔÇ£Even though itÔÇÖs on Staten Island, you have all the New York City logistics issues to deal with; I believe DelricÔÇÖs vast experience with ÔÇÿtight siteÔÇÖ projects will be a great asset.ÔÇØ Building the structureÔÇöwhich rises five stories above grade plus a lower levelÔÇöposes a few technical challenges, despite the extensive use of glass curtain walls. Working on a site that sits amid an existing and tight urban neighborhood has required strategic planning that began in September 2009 during the pre-construction phase and continues into the excavation stage of the project. ÔÇ£We have courthouses and apartment buildings surrounding us, so we have to be sensitive to our neighbors in terms of noise during the process. We have streets on either side of our site that are our only access and cannot be closed. ItÔÇÖs nothing unusual in the city, but it does create a lot of need for planning and making sure things are done in a timely manner.ÔÇØ The courthouse has been in the works for many years, with the approval process delayed by the discovery of the historical burial ground, a controversy that was put to rest by the decision to include a public memorial to the Irish and German immigrants who were buried there more than 200 years ago. The siteÔÇÖs development is also expected to give a boost to the Hyatt and Central Avenues area, with the courthouse parking garage helping to alleviate a difficult on-street parking situation and provide nighttime parking for patrons of nearby restaurants and theaters in the neighborhood that is considered Staten IslandÔÇÖs downtown. The project also requires extensive coordination with city and state transportation, building and environmental agencies. Delric, based in North Haledon, New Jersey, has been doing projects of all types and sizes since 1976 with most of its experience coming in New Jersey, New York State and Pennsylvania, where its project portfolio includes primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, warehouses, various types of commercial buildings, high-rise towers and parking structures. ÔÇ£We do a lot of work with public agencies and have a solid reputation for delivering projects through the public process. On this project, we have a long list of agencies we have to get cooperation from, to make sure we have a successful project,ÔÇØ McKenney adds. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre a New Jersey firm, and this is our first contract of any real size in the city itself. So getting over that learning curve has presented a different kind of challenge. WeÔÇÖve brought people onto the team who have done a lot of work in the area, and that has helped us in that regard.ÔÇØ The project has benefited from timing. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve been fortunate that thereÔÇÖs a wealth of experienced labor and talent who are excited about the opportunity to be part of this project.ÔÇØ The design team is led by the Polshek Partnership as the project architect, Mathews Nielsen as lead landscape architectural consultant, and Jacobs Engineering as the project manager representing DASNY, which is financing and building the project that it will eventually turn over to other agencies. ÔÇ£Some of the design elements are a little eccentric, but they add to the character of whatÔÇÖs going to be a beautiful and memorable building,ÔÇØ McKenney concludes.