OWNER: New York Athletic Club, Travers Island, NYC
ARCHITECT: Fox & Fowle Architects, NYC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Anastos Engineering Associates, NYC
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ENGINEER: Kallen & Lemelson, NYC
MILLWORK CONTRACTOR: Bauerschmidt & Sons Inc., Jamaica, NY
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR: Belway Electric, Elmsford, NY
PLUMBING CONTRACTOR: C&B Plumbing, Pelham, NY
HVAC CONTRACTOR: Trystate Mechanical, Yonkers, NY
DRYWALL & ACOUSTICAL CONTRACTOR: Component Assembly Systems Inc., Pelham, NY
SHORING CONTRACTOR: Regional Scaffolding & Hoisting Co., Bronx, NY
DEMOLITION CONTRACTOR: Tri-State Dismantling, Brooklyn, NY
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: F.J. Sciame Construction Co. Inc., NYC

Located on the picturesque Long Island Sound, Travers Island, the historic Westchester home of the New York Athletic Club, has supported amateur rowing, field sports and recreational activities, as well as catered events for club members, for more than 100 years.

The $13.1 million renovation of the 1903 clubhouse added a sweeping new addition that maximizes the scenic view of Long Island Sound for indoor and outdoor dining, expanded the existing ballroom, updated food service facilities that were practically unchanged in the past 40 years, and added new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems that now allow the club to function year-round.

With only a small window of opportunity between the facility's seasonal closing in the fall of 2001 and its projected reopening on Memorial Day, 2002, a number of challenges faced the project team in renovating the 35,000-sq.-ft. structure.

The biggest challenge was the project's compressed scheduled. Originally envisioned with a 12-month duration, the renovation was fast-tracked so all of the work could be completed in the seven months allowed.

By carefully scheduling critical trades and extending work hours, the project team hit the ground running with an eye toward a substantial completion date of May 1, 2002. Even as work progressed, value engineering reduced the initial project budget by $3 million. Furthermore, work was awarded to the trades as the project progressed in order to incorporate any potential value engineering solutions into the base contract awards for remaining trades and to maximize the time available for foundation and steel work early on.

Compounding the challenge of a compressed schedule and the project's budget constraints were two other factors. The first of these was the discovery of unsuitable soils. Shortly after demolition was completed, excavation uncovered solid schist beneath the kitchen floor, which threatened to derail the project schedule.

Because of the confined space, jackhammers and remote-operated Brokk machines were brought in to break apart the schist. In all, over 200 cu. yds. of rock had to be removed from within the existing building in order to lower the 8,000-sq.-ft. kitchen floor, forcing back completion dates for foundations and structural steel and putting extreme pressure on an already stressed critical path in the final months of the project. The remaining workdays had to be stacked with enough overtime to meet the deadline. The schedule was also helped by the mild winter weather, which allowed steel erection and concrete pouring to continue when ice and snow usually make this type of work difficult at best.

Another project challenge was the conditions of the 1903 structure itself. While it stood as an early example of the use of structural reinforced concrete - able to withstand the massive renovation and support the addition of new mechanical systems on the attic floor - the building's walls and floors were actually over-engineered, presenting a challenging for connecting new steel and routing ductwork, piping and electrical cables. This made construction that would be straightforward in a new building, far more complex.

Integrating the new construction seamlessly into the existing structure was also challenging. The solution was a close working relationship between the team members to achieve a single goal. That goal was achieved on Memorial Day, 2002 when the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island was reopened.

The jury praised this project's team for overcoming many challenges to reach a single goal - completing the project on time and with such an ambitious schedule.