A 28-year-old construction worker fell about three stories to his death May 17th from scaffolding on an apartment building in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The worker, identified as Adrien Zamora, appears to have been doing facade restoration work “when he lost his footing and fell” from the scaffolding installed at 450 Broome St., says a spokeswoman at the Dept. of Buildings, which is investigating the incident along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It was the worker’s first day on the job. “The site had all the necessary permits,” the DOB spokeswoman says. The agency has had two complaints

The Dept. of Buildings has issued stop work orders at a Manhattan apartment building where a construction worker fell to his death and has cited the general contractor for violations. The worker, identified as Adrien Zamora, apparently lost his footing and fell from scaffolding while doing façade work at 450 Broome St. in SoHo on May 17th, DOB says. The violations issued May 18th to the GC, Brasal Construction Corp., New York, include “failure to protect all persons and parties affected by construction operations” and “building the scaffolding contrary to approved plans,” a DOB spokeswoman says. She did not supply

At a recent panel discussion geared toward women, most of the attendees under 35 years old raised their hands when they specifically were asked if they feel they have the same opportunities in industry as men. The enthusiastic response led one panelist to say, “the game is changing,” but not long afterward an audience member expressed frustration over management not viewing her as equal to the men she works with. That led some audience members to nod their heads in agreement, with one quietly saying “there’s still a glass ceiling.” Photo by Joanna Dela Rosa One way to handle an

About 41% of New York State’s 11,600 miles of high-voltage transmission lines are so old that they will need to be replaced during the next 30 years at a cost of more than $25 billion, according to a new study by an electric utility group. The study, the second phase of a long-term NYS transmission system assessment, identifies another $2.5 billion worth of incremental upgrades to existing lines and construction of new lines. The assessment includes current and future infrastructure demands and suggestions to improve the system’s reliability. The study outlines several possible fixes to various parts of the transmission

The design-build team for the $5.2-billion Tappan Zee bridge replacement project will be chosen this summer, said Thomas Madison, executive director of the NYS Thruway Authority. Transportation officials hope that the selected team, which will be chosen from four that were shortlisted on Feb. 7, will start construction by year-end, said Madison, who spoke at a lecture sponsored by The Moles on May 2. Photo Courtesy of NYS Thruway Authority Other upcoming deadlines include completion in August of an extensive environmental review that was issued concurrently with the RFP for design and construction.Plans call for the new bridge, which will

In the renewable energy world, the 115-kilowatt solar array under construction on the roof of Bedminster, N.J.'s Public Works building is nothing special. But when viewed with 37 other mostly small-scale installations across northern Somerset County that have pooled resources to afford solar installations, Bedminster is part of a veritable 7-megawatt powerhouse. Related Links: ENR New York Each individual installation contributes to that powerhouse under a roughly $35-million county initiative to install rooftop, ground mount or canopy solar panels on government buildings and schools that are structurally sound enough to support them. Morris County devised the aggregated-site solar program, backed

As the economy began a slow recovery last year, design firms held on for a long ride. Construction budgets and jobs were still being slashed and projects delayed, although not to the same degree as in 2010. While the ride ahead appears to be a lot less bumpy, design professionals say they are hanging on and are preparing for a long gradual recovery until activity returns to pre-recession levels. Related Links: Public Projects Helped Firms Stay Stable In 2010 "The positive thing about 2011 was stability as compared with 2010, but, even so, there was no major growth," says Ira

James Lomma, who faced multiple counts of negligent homicide and other charges in connection with the deadly 2008 tower crane collapse, was cleared of all charges on April 26. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Daniel Conviser delivered the verdict in a case that began in February and garnered national attention. Lomma, who owns New York Crane & Equipment Corp., Brooklyn, and transport services firm J.F. Lomma Inc., South Kearny, N.J., faced 15 years in prison if convicted. He was charged in connection with the deaths of Donald Leo, a members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 14-14B,and Ramadan Kurtag,

Sales and marketing teams at A/E/C companies trying to build client relationships must communicate with each other and send the same message to clients, otherwise their efforts can be marginalized. When the team and management communicate with one another, they support a cohesive brand and function as one company, said speakers at a Society for Marketing Professional Services Foundation conference, held on April 13 in New York City."It is easy to see how you can do better work for clients when you're working as a team," said Robert Packard, managing partner at ZGF Architects LLP, a conference panelist. ZGF has

President Obama and the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania have agreed to speed up the review and development of proposed offshore wind-power projects in the Great Lakes region.