How the Plaza 400 Board Overhauled the Building's Infrastructure

The Construction Manager

Plaza 400 needed to replace oil tanks and heating systems, as well as complete a conversion to dual-fuel capability for its boiler. Typically, Nora Weeks, the in-house executive manager of the 40-story co-op, would have supervised all the work, assisted by the superintendent.

But this wasn't a typical job. Plaza 400 was going to replace three 16-foot-long boilers, two 20,000-gallon oil tanks, and reline the chimney flue. That's a lot to supervise.

"We needed someone who could monitor this closely," explains Weeks, who says she was eager to be a partner in the plans but, with her daily work responsibilities, couldn't devote the time necessary to be the job's sole supervisor.

The co-op hired Mark A. Powasnik, an engineer with WSP, a consulting company with offices in New York, to design the specs needed for the plan. The board realized that it was not in Powasnik's job description to organize, supervise, and generally manage the many workers who would be employed on these tasks. Therefore, the co-op looked for a construction manager, somebody with expertise in handling construction plans, reviewing bids, hiring contractors, and securing the permits needed from the New York City Department of Buildings.

"We wanted someone who had done this [type of] project before and was familiar with Manhattan buildings," recalls Ana Giglio, the president. "Manhattan is a different beast [from] the other four boroughs. And [we wanted] someone who had worked with luxury co-ops and condos since that is different than dealing with rentals."

The 11-member board interviewed several candidates — engineers on the board recommended a few — before finally hiring Doug Weinstein as its construction manager in 2013. As a vice president with Akam Associates' Project Management Group, the division that deals with capital plans, he was well versed in the intricacies of heating plant and chiller replacements in aging New York City buildings.

"He was here to oversee what was going on downstairs frequently, to make sure that everything was in code and per the specifications the engineer had produced," Weeks says.

The Bids

Weeks, Weinstein, and two engineers who sat on the board prepared and got contractors to submit bids and then analyzed them based on price, length of time estimated to complete the project, and experience. The team also checked references and reviewed projects the contractors had completed. Each candidate was brought in to answer questions and make what is called "a final and best price" offer before a choice was made.

Scheduling

Once the contractors were chosen, the construction manager had to determine the schedule for the work and the workers. For instance, when the boilers were being replaced, contractors waited to bring in the middle boiler so they would have room to wheel in more equipment. "Otherwise," Giglio notes, "we'd have to take down walls. It was time and cost saving. This is why you have people there to advise you."

When work began, it was crucial to have Weeks and the building superintendent on top of the plans. "We inspected everything together, we walked to the site together, reviewed spreadsheets together, and discussed all changes with the board that had to be made by the engineers. We were belts and suspenders. It worked best for the building that way," explains Weeks.

Giglio, for one, is satisfied, and offers this advice: "There are very bright individuals on the board but when it came to the truly technical aspects of the project, we [had to] rely on experienced professionals to guide us with the decisions," she observes.

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Now that the hard part is over, Plaza 400 is ready for a cosmetic makeover. Click either the App Store or Google play icons below to download Week By Week where you can check out the lobby as it is today and renderings of what it will become. 

Photo by Lorenzo Ciniglio