« Back to Facilities Management News Home
New York City — When storm seasons arrive, building owners and tenants turn their attention to mitigation efforts to minimize the potential for damage from natural disasters. Mitigation experts at architecture firm HLW International bring unique experience to ensuring disaster preparedness for new and existing buildings in high-risk flood zones.
Just one month after Hurricane Sandy devastated the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, HLW was approached by the owners of 55 Water Street to join the team working to protect the building from future flooding. 55 Water suffered significant damage during the storm, including major flood damage and an oil tank spill. As one of New York City’s largest office structures at 3.8 million square feet, 55 Water was proactive in taking immediate measures to prevent similar damage from future storms.
HLW, Plaza Construction, JB&B, Thornton Tomasetti, and EKO Flood USA comprised the team tasked with the challenge of bringing critical MEP systems above grade and protecting systems that could not be moved, such as the building’s electrical system and fuel tanks.
Protection measures also included a flood wall that could be deployed upon anticipation of a major storm to hold back floodwater and withstand water pressure.
HLW was selected to join the team due to the firm’s reputation for seamlessly collaborating with engineers, infrastructure professionals, and city agencies. HLW offered technical expertise extending far beyond the limits of a typical architecture firm.
HLW was tasked with designing a removable flood-protection system that could be installed to protect the entire building from flooding. Once assembled in place, the wall protects against a flood line of up to 8 feet above grade, surpassing FEMA guidelines, and will offer protection against a 100-year storm surge. Intended to complement the aesthetics of the building — designed by renowned architect Emory Roth — the EKO flood wall anchoring system will not impede building occupants during normal operations. Only visible following temporary installation, the wall completely surrounds the building and prevents water from entering and flooding the main and lower levels.
The existing fuel systems in 55 Water were below grade, and the team designed a submergible waterproof compartment to keep the systems functioning in case of flood. The team also created a flood barrier to protect the ConEdison vault below grade.
For future mitigation efforts, HLW can help owners conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine systems that make financial sense for the protection against weather-related events. Throughout the 55 Water project, HLW was an invaluable liaison with the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and FDNY in securing the necessary approvals for this groundbreaking mitigation measure.
In the post-Sandy climate, all new construction in high-risk flood zones must take mitigation measures into account. HLW’s experts have found that when ground-up projects incorporate mitigation measures into their original design and construction, owners and tenants alike are protected against the potential risk of damage from storms — a benefit that far outweighs the cost of preparedness.
