Building owners and managers have a lot on their plates. Many are responsible for multiple properties and New York City has multiple laws impacting them. Compliance with these regulations requires strategies that demand owners’ and managers’ time and attention. SUPERSTRUCTURES is here to help by launching Restoration 101, an introduction to fundamental topics within our discipline.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors and builders of the first airplane, credited their achievement to a piece of advice their mother gave them when they were boys. She said, "If you get it right on paper, it'll be right when you build it." Mrs. Wright’s advice holds equally true for exterior restoration projects today. The best way to save both time and money is to work out all the details on paper before contractors go anywhere near the building.

SUPERSTRUCTURES is excited to launch the seventh season of the Frost Jacking Day Tracker. "Frost jacking" is what happens when freezing temperatures cause rain or snow to turn to ice and expand cracks in a facade. As cycles of freezing and thawing accumulate, the cracks continue to grow and exterior hazardous conditions or interior water damage or leaks can occur.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein. This aphorism about elegance in design informs our approach to contract documents: they must be clear in their concision, but not oversimplified. The story of NASA's space pen illustrates how an overly simplified solution can backfire.

At SUPERSTRUCTURES, we continually refine our “line” to find the most time-effective, cost-effective, and elegant restoration solutions for each project. What do we mean by “line?” In auto racing, victory hinges on a formula of speed + safety. Completing the course in the shortest time without wiping out requires finding and following the “racing line,” the ideal route to negotiate turns swiftly but without incident.

In The Thing from Another World (1951), a team tracks a mysterious aircraft across Polar ice. They fan out, and connect the “dots” of their positions to form a circle, revealing that the craft in question is actually…a flying saucer. The science in this Science Fiction story (fanciful as it is) echoes the methods SUPERSTRUCTURES uses to diagnose defects in building envelopes.

The tradeoff between remote and in-person work calls to mind the famous Isaac Asimov short story, “The Fun They Had.” Back in 2020, our team did well working from home, mastering remote access tools and, in some cases, working as efficiently as in our office setting. But before long, many of us were saying we couldn’t wait to get back to the office (or on-site).

Remediation of cracks and spalls in masonry and concrete is a key part of our practice. While we endorse immediate repair of all observed deficiencies, we’re intrigued by this artist’s approach to less serious conditions (while they await repair, of course).

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, “God is in the details.” SUPERSTRUCTURES’ restoration of 31 Greene Street (George W. DaCunha, 1876) in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District demonstrates how attention to restoration details at almost one hundred discrete locations creates a unified standout.

Plans to “restore” Giza’s pyramid of Menkaure by recladding its facade with granite blocks have stirred up a monumental debate. The available evidence, including original stones remaining at the base of the pyramid, indicates that the original “design intent” included polished Aswan granite cladding. But should the pyramid be reclad? The question is a redux of the dilemma constantly facing preservationists.