Skanska to Construct R&D HQ

Skanska USA Building Inc. was named construction manager for Avon Products, Inc.'s new $100 million R&D headquarters in Suffern, N.Y.

The project will include abatement and demolition of the current building, located on Avon's 11-acre site, as well as site development and infrastructure work. New construction will consist of three state-of-the-art buildings, two three-story facilities and a common area connecting the two main structures. The new center, expected to open in spring 2005, will include chemistry labs and support spaces for the development of cosmetics, fragrances and toiletries products.

Ground Broken on 60-unit Stadium Court

Leewood Real Estate Group has begun construction of Stadium Court, a 60-unit affordable housing development in the Bronx.

The townhouse development will be located on Gerard Avenue, blocks from Yankee Stadium and will feature 48 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom apartments.

The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal is providing much of the funding with allocated tax credits for the $9.5 million project. In addition, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development has dedicated 36 affordable housing certificates to the project.

The Capsys Corporation is constructing the prefabricated buildings for Stadium Court in its factory at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Designed by New York City architects Beckhard Richlan Szerbaty + Associates, it is an addition to Ketter Hall. The laboratory will be operated by the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, part of the university's Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. The project's structural engineer is Weidlinger Associates of New York City.

The center will provide testing capabilities that will foster the understanding of how structures of all sixes behave during earthquakes. It will have twin shake tables capable of testing structures up to 120 feet in length, one of which will be the only shake table in the world that can easily be repositioned. The lab space will also feature a 42-foot by 80-foot strong floor and an adjacent 30-foot high post-tensioned concrete reaction wall with embedded grids of fasteners so that assemblies can easily be secured. A 40-ton bridge crane spans the entire space and an elevated observation gallery runs along its length.

New Detention Buildings at Rikers Island

URS Corporation has been retained by the New York City Department of Design and Construction to serve as construction manager for two detention buildings at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York.

The project includes a 200-bed Adolescent Reception and Detention Center and an 800-bed medium security facility for women. Construction, which is phased, is expected to be completed within four years after design completion, at an estimated cost of $105 million.

Construction management services will include planning, pre-construction design review, estimating, bidding of multiple prime construction contracts, construction supervision and coordination, inspection and quality control, schedule and cost control, claims management and dispute resolution.

Newark School Project Underway

The New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation has named ICS Builders, Inc. of New York, general contractor for the Dayton Street School in Newark, N.J.

The $3.625 million project includes window replacement; exterior restoration; installation of new window guards, fire alarm systems, emergency generator and upgrading of toilet exhaust system.

The architect on the project is Sowinski Sullivan Architect, P.C. and the owner's representative is PB+3D/I.

University Library Under Construction

E.W. Howell Co., Inc., was chosen as general contractor for the new Long Island University Southampton College Library/ Learning Center.

Mitchell/Giurgola Architects designed the new 29,600-SF ground-up building to include two floors and a mezzanine. The new building will be an "environmentally-friendly" facility featuring a geothermal energy system and will be the cornerstone of a $60 million strategic plan for the campus. Construction began in July 2003 and is scheduled to be completed spring 2004.

E.W. Howell's project team consists of project executive/project manager Arsenio Minondo, assistant project manager Marcello Garcett, project superintendent Len Joerg and project assistants Victor Pena and Karen Rickert.