During the economic recession, specialty contractors are being forced to do what they can to be more competitive and attractive to contractors. For some, that has meant upgrading skills, learning the latest about building information modeling and sustainability. For others, it has meant spreading out geographically. But all agree that surviving in this climate is about embracing change while still doggedly pursuing traditional jobs. Specialty contractors on large-scale jobs like the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. are learning valuable new technologies that will help them remain competitive in the future. Related Links: Top Specialty Contractors Top Specialty Contractors

A sustainable, mixed-use complex with an “iconic and distinctive” design gets underway in New Jersey’s capital city. The development of a 700,000-sq-ft LEED platinum Class A office tower currently in pre-construction in Trenton, N.J., is tied to the revitalization of the city, and the building’s green credentials are being achieved at a minimum of cost. The 25-story Vista Center in Trenton, N.J. will feature 12,000 sq ft of street-level retail, a 1,140-car garage and a public plaza. The 25-story Vista Center, being developed by Capital Real Estate Group of Trenton, will offer offices in increments of up to 200,000 sq

35 years after traffic was suspended, a former railroad bridge gets a major facelift. A nearly 7,000-ft-long railroad bridge is undergoing an extreme $35-million makeover over the Hudson River, thanks to hundreds of precast concrete panels, community zeal and the windblown determination of engineers and contractors. When completed by October, the revamped 121-year-old Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge may be the world�s longest pedestrian bridge at 6,768 ft, say officials. Photos courtesy of Bergman Associates Old railroad bridge will become a soaring walkway over the Hudson River when it opens later this year. The historic bridge’s 3,094-ft-long, 25-ft-wide main span consists of

The industry continues to try to wrap its arms around what BIM means for green building. While building information modeling is fostering collaboration and improving efficiencies in sustainable design and construction, most experts across the A/E/C industry say it’s still a work in progress. Interoperability and process challenges must be resolved, many say, before BIM can achieve its full promise to help deliver healthy, resource-efficient facilities with reduced carbon footprints. Photo: Oliver Schaper, Gensler The Revit model for the Beacon Institute in Beacon, N.Y. was used for daylighting analysis. The project is reusing and expanding an existing 19th Century masonry

Damaged during the attacks of Sept. 11, the demolition of Borough of Manhattan Community College building begins. Fiterman Hall is finally coming down, and for the City University of New York and the Lower Manhattan community, the resulting hole in the ground will be a most welcome site. Photo courtesy Airtek Environmental Corporation At the completion of the decontamination process in late May 2009 only the slab, walls and steel structure of the building remained. Miles and Shirley Fiterman donated the 15-story, 375,000-sq-ft building at 30 W. Broadway to the Borough of Manhattan Community College in 1993. The circa 1959

Overlooking the massive jobsite at 1 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, Dan Tishman, dressed immaculately in a navy blue suit with a red and pink striped tie, stands watching the 300-plus construction workers scurrying around below him. Photo by Michael Falco Co-owners John Vickers (L) and Dan Tishman (R) have executed a plan aimed at maintaining a presence across all sectors. Years of hard work below grade at 1 World Trade Center culminated in 2008 as Tishman Construction brought the building out of the ground. Related Links: Four Generations of Tishman He shakes his head. “Sometimes I think I

The origins of Tishman Construction Corporation are not unlike the humble beginnings of many small businesses started by European immigrants in the late 19th Century. And while it’s not unheard of to still see some of those businesses in existence today, you’d be hard-pressed to find one of them that has remained family-owned while making as big an impact on the New York region as Julius Tishman & Sons. Related Links: Contractor of the Year Julius Started in 1898, three years after Julius Tishman moved his family from Poland to New York, the business was borne out of a desire

Fiona Cousins specializes in translating sustainability from an abstract idea into concrete solutions on the ground. Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Cousins now leads sustainable consulting and building design teams as a principal in ARUP’s New York office. n addition to her sustainability consulting, Cousins is kept busy directing several construction projects, including the new chemistry building at Princeton University - a site she visits once a week. Related Links: Two Weeks in the Life of Langan International’s George Leventis A Day in the Life of USGBCNY’s Russell Unger COUSINS Sustainable building captured Cousins’s interest early in her career.

The often-dangerous leap into international work was a work in progress for Langan Engineering & Environmental Services for more than a decade. And for George Leventis, it was a labor of love. Langan International serves as the lender’s technical advisor on the Elefsina-Korinthos-Patrea-Tsakona Motorway in Greece. When a 20-story office tower with 5 levels basement in Abu Dhabi encountered uncontrolled groundwater during excavation, Langan was called to review all work performed and provide recommendations for remedial action, which included additional testing to assess the stability of the underlying rock to serve as foundation for the structure. Related Links: A Day

Russell Unger, executive director of the New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, wants to make green building the norm in New York City. Russell Unger, Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBCNY), conferring with Yetsuh Frank, Director of Programs. Unger’s days are filled with a mixture of green building events, in-person meetings, phone calls and mountains of emails. Related Links: Two Weeks in the Life of Langan International’s George Leventis A Day in the Life of ARUP Engineer Fiona Cousins To date, most green buildings in New York are high-end,