Managing downtown design process post 9/11.

As a result of 9/11, the landscape of Lower Manhattan has obviously been changed forever.

Hopefully, when we look back 10-20 years from now, we will reflect on how this tragic event ultimately yielded much needed improvements in the area.

Many projects are now on the planning table involving green space expansion, cultural facility enhancements and transportation improvements.

Currently, Vollmer Associates is working on three of those transportation projects in lower Manhattan: the Fulton Street Transit Center, Route 9A (West Street) adjacent to the WTC site, and the South Ferry Station.

Driving all of the projects will be the obvious reconstruction of the office space lost as a result of 9/11, as well as the expansion of residential space in lower Manhattan. Despite all this planning, the question remains: how will we in the industry be able to overcome all the obstacles of the existing physical infrastructure and organizational complexity in an efficient manner to expedite the reconstruction of lower Manhattan?

Weaving through the intense infrastructure that constitutes lower Manhattan is a daunting design challenge for any architect/engineer. In lower Manhattan (South of Fulton Street for the purposes of this article), there are hundreds of thousands of miles of wires and hundreds of thousands of feet of steam, gas, water and sewer pipes, some of which can be larger than four feet in diameter.

In addition to this spaghetti bowl of utilities, lower Manhattan has 15 subway stations (exclusive of the temporary PATH Station) and over 12,000 feet of subway tunnels connecting to these stations. Complicating the situation even further is the potential for numerous archaeological and other environmental issues when performing excavations in this longest inhabited area in Manhattan.

Coordinating with literally dozens of interested parties and overcoming the City's approval process can easily dwarf these infrastructure design challenges. Given the enormity of the effort to design and reconstruct lower Manhattan, multiple architecture/engineering entities will be developing plans and, ultimately, preparing final construction documents.

These will have to be coordinated with each other and with outside parties (i.e. the utility companies), accepted by all of the project stakeholders and approved of by countless City agencies--a huge task for every project that will be built in this very valuable area that occupies less than one square mile.

So how do we achieve success when dealing with what seem to be monumental obstacles? Vollmer Associates' answer is utilizing its extensive experience with both NYC's underground and its agencies. As early as the 1960s, the firm was studying existing utilities, tunnels, structures and abandoned pipes to help Empire City Subway, a subsidiary of New York Telephone Company, plan workable routes for new conduits.

Vollmer has a consultant to Down town Lower Manhattan Association, helping to plan growth in the area, and provided infrastructure design for Battery Park City. Subway modification work requiring utility relocations and street surface enhancements added to Vollmer's experience and understanding of the approvals process and the requirements of each agency.

Although there is no easy answer to overcoming the difficulties of planning and building in lower Manhattan, the firm's successes suggest some practical tips.

Frequent and early communication will certainly help expedite the process. In this vast City bureaucracy, the most desirable way to address the controversial issues is head on so that there are no surprises when construction time comes. Furthermore, learning all the rules and regulations that the agencies and their representatives enforce is essential to minimize delay between reviews due to incomplete submissions.

When considering these rules and regulations, remember that for virtually every agency the safety and accessibility of the public are among the most paramount concerns that cannot be sacrificed at any cost. Public agencies requiring coordination and approvals are: 1) NYC Dept. Of Transportation (NYCDOT); 2) NYCDOT--Street Lighting; 3) NYCDOT--Traffic Signals; 4) NYCDOT--Parking; 5) Metropolitan Transit Authority--NYCT--Buses; 6) Office of Construction Mitigation and Coordination--(OCMC); 7) Landmarks Commission; 8) NYC Art Commission; 9) NYFD; 10) Empire City Subway and Verizon; 11) Con Ed (Gas, Electric and Steam); 12) NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection (Sewer and Water); 13) Alliance for Downtown; 14) Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; 15) Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center; 16) Community Planning Boards No. 1, 2, 3; 17) Governor's Office; 18) NYC Department of Buildings; 19) NYC Topographical Bureau; 20) Mayor's Office; 21) Mayor's Office for Contract Services; 22) Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities; 23) NYC Department of Parks and Recreation; 24) Metropolitan Transportation Authority; 25) New York City Transit; 26) LIRR.