Verizon

Facade Investigation and Repair Program

Since 1998, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers has provided facade investigation and rehabilitation design services to global communications firm, Verizon. When New York City Local Law 11 of 1998 was enacted, we conducted facade safety inspections at fifteen Verizon buildings throughout the city, including the corporate headquarters at 140 West Street in lower Manhattan. Our architects also undertook comprehensive facade surveys at eleven Verizon central office buildings in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

When the next Local Law 11 (Facade Inspection Safety Program) filing cycle approached, Verizon again retained Hoffmann to undertake a re-certification program for fourteen of its corporate facilities. Our architects and engineers conducted facade investigations and filed required reports with the Department of Buildings. At the client’s discretion, we also prepared contract documents for “SWARMP” (Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program) conditions and other maintenance items at selected buildings. For some of these structures, we also provided construction administration services for the repairs.

Eight of the fourteen Verizon buildings were built in the 1920s, ranging from eight to thirty-two stories in height, all with predominantly brick facades. The headquarters at 140 West Street is a designated New York City Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the Verizon building at 125 West 73rd Street. The list of buildings also includes two 1940s brick- and limestone-clad structures, a sprawling 1950s office block, and two modern high-rises clad in thin stone veneer. For this diverse and noteworthy collection of buildings, Hoffmann applied experience with a range of materials and construction types to the successful fulfillment of facade ordinance requirements and to meeting Verizon’s goals for its corporate facilities.