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Geocomp to Survey, Evaluate and Provide Mitigative Design for Over 100 Buildings in NYC
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| The New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority requires survey, evaluation and design services for 110 buildings located along and adjacent to 2nd Avenue. The purpose of this assignment is to document the condition of the existing buildings and to design repair details for the structures (as necessary) in conjunction with the construction of the 2nd Avenue subway.
DHK Architects, the prime consultant, in association with Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, selected Geocomp as a subconsultant for this project assignment.
First, our team will perform community outreach to notify each owner of the project and to develop an inspection schedule based upon the owner’s input. Our outreach program will keep the owners continually abreast of the progress of our work and will be available to answer any questions owners may have.
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Next, our team will perform a pre-condition survey of all 110 buildings. During the inspection, we will conduct a visual survey and photo documentation of any deficiencies found on the structures; conduct an evaluation of the condition of the façade, exposed foundations, and appurtenances which overhang the public way; and determine the vertical profile for low-rise masonry buildings using optical survey instruments. Upon completion of the inspection, our team will submit pre-condition survey reports for each building which documents the current condition.
Next, we will prepare and submit our building evaluation report which will categorize each building according to building type and extent of defects. In the report, we will also evaluate the building’s capacity to withstand various levels and types of vibration or levels of soil movement; provide recommendations regarding the methods and levels of monitoring with respect to each building; prepare a building specific monitoring plan for each of the building categories; evaluate the potential soil movement resulting from the anticipated means and methods of construction; recommend response values (threshold and limiting values) for vibration, movement, dewatering and other construction activities; recommend horizontal movement and settlement thresholds for sheeting, piling or any other system installed in support of excavations; and prepare reports of methodology and basis for arriving at responses.
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Geocomp will also perform mitigation design and prepare contract documents for mitigative remediation measures for the building to withstand the effects of construction of the 2nd Avenue subway. Contract documents may include soil stabilization, underpinning, temporary protection systems, etc. Our team will also provide construction support services during construction.
For more information, please contact Jack Salerno at 212-558-9092 or jsalerno@geocomp.com. 
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On the Move
Geocomp Corporation Expands and Relocates to Meet Our Clients' Needs |
| We're on the move! Geocomp will soon relocate its headquarters from 1145 Massachusetts Avenue in Boxborough to a newer facility located at 125 Nagog Park in Acton, Massachusetts. We've experienced significant growth over the last several years and our new location will enable us to better accommodate our expected growth going forward.
“We have an ambitious five-year growth strategy and we're delighted to have found an ideal space that allows for future expansion,” noted Allen Marr, President and CEO.
The three story building at Nagog Park was custom built for Digital Equipment Corporation about 20 years ago and will be renovated to suit our unique needs. Each floor is approximately 24K square feet. GeoTesting Express and products production will occupy the first floor and our consulting and corporate offices will occupy about 70 percent of the second floor. We have tenants who will be leasing 20K square feet and we intend to lease another 15K square feet of the high quality space. As the firm grows in future years, Geocomp will use this space for its own staff requirements.
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One of the highlights of the new facility will be a significant expansion of our rock testing laboratory. Not only will it house all of the strength and index testing we currently do, but also the drillability test suite, which will make us the only laboratory in the country to offer a complete suite of rock testing services. The soil and geosynthetic testing areas of the laboratory will also enjoy significant improvements in space and size allowing us to provide the fastest turnaround times possible for the largest projects in the world.
Over the past 25 years, Geocomp has evolved into a global leader in geo-engineering and has served hundreds of clients in the US and internationally. We have served virtually every industry segment, but have specialized expertise in:
• Large urban transportation/tunneling projects
• Dams and levees
• Bridges and aging infrastructure
• Wind power projects (onshore & offshore).
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Future Geocomp Headquarters
125 Nagog Park, Acton, Massachusetts
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| In addition to our Massachusetts home, we have locations in New York, Atlanta and San Francisco, which better enable us to help institutional, public and private sectors worldwide manage risks associated with underground construction through innovative applications of science, technology, and proprietary know-how.
Our Consulting, Lab Systems, Field Systems and GeoTesting services provide clients with a comprehensive understanding of the underground conditions and related key risks to effectively minimize the risks of:
• worker and public safety
• construction delays,
• additional costs,
• and damage to property.
Our full range of solutions include: analysis methods to identify and quantify significant sources of risk; materials testing to reduce uncertainty in structural behavior; development of client specific software and hardware solutions; and real-time WEB-based monitoring to reduce consequences of unexpected performance.
We've been at the center of some of the most challenging projects around the world such as Boston’s Big Dig, New York’s Eastside Access project, the World Trade Center, the Metro subway in Athens, Greece, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C., and the Tonen Refinery in Kawasaki, Japan. Our commitment to consistently improve technologies to help us meet our clients’ project objectives allows Geocomp to not only respond to current requirements, but to also anticipate emerging needs.
Our new quarters will greatly enhance our client service capacity. 
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Peace from the Ground Up
Iraq scholars hosted by Geocomp
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| Five delegates from the Iraq Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Foundation of Technical Education (FTE) were recently hosted by Geocomp. In additional to touring Geocomp's advanced testing facility, the delegation visited regional universities and vocational schools.
Rachid Hankour, vice president and director of Lab Systems at Geocomp, served as the primary host. An Algerian native, Hankour speaks Arabic, though he discovered all the Iraqi representatives were fluent in English.
The excursion was sponsored by UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Human Settlements Program. The purpose of the exchange program is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable town and cities and provide all humans adequate shelter through better understanding of the most up-to-date developments in construction and building technology.
Schools included in the tour were Tufts University, University of Massachusetts/ Lowell, Merrimack College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Minuteman Career & Technical High School, and Nashoba Valley Technical High School.
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| “Due to the war and the regulations imposed by the last regime, Iraq is suffering from a shortage of equipment and a society with many needs,” noted Dr. Moneer Tolephih, one of the five visiting scholars. He added, “Our strategy is to help develop a good relationship and cooperation with schools and universities in the United States.”
Hankour expanded, “This initial visit was a great opportunity for both parties to develop a personal connection and determine how we can help each other.”
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In addition to Dr. Moneer Tolephih, Iraqi guests included FTE President Dr. Mahmood Abdulhusain; Vice President of Scientific Affairs Dr. Asaad Marogi; Dr. Mudhafar Al-Zuhairi, the Dean of the Institute of Technology-Baghdad; and Dr. Mazin Al-Kattan, the Dean of the Technical Institute in Mosul.
For more information, contact Rachid Hankour, at 978-635-0012, or rh@geocomp.com.
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Dunnicliff Instrumentation Course
Geocomp’s Dr. Marr to Present |
Geocomp personnel will be participating in the University of Florida’s short course on “GEOTECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION FOR FIELD MEASUREMENTS” to be held April 3-5, 2011, in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
John Dunnicliff, the internationally renowned expert on geotechnical instrumentation, is the Course Director.
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The course covers the reasons to monitor, the methods to monitor, monitoring equipment and techniques, and recent developments in the geotechnical instrumentation field, including web-based monitoring, wireless monitoring, emerging technologies and on-line sources of information. Case histories will be used as training exercises to develop effective monitoring programs. |
Emphasis will be given to obtaining high quality data to help answer specific geotechnical questions. Dr. Marr will present “Why Monitor?” and “Some Important New Technologies.”
Professional Development Credits can be obtained. For more information go to http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/geotech.
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| Vol. 4, Issue 3 |
below the SURFACE
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September 2010
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