For Chris Colangelo, the Manhattanville campus expansion isn’t just an idea on the distant horizon. For Colangelo, a student at the School of Continuing Education, the ongoing construction project is his job.
The first buildings on the new campus aren’t expected to be ready for student use until 2016, but Colangelo has already had a wealth of first-hand exposure to the site. Colangelo is studying construction administration while also working as a staff engineer for the geotechnical contractor Moretrench, where he inspects metal support rods that are drilled into the ground, among other duties.
“I make sure no corners are cut, no mistakes are made, and engineering design is sufficient,” he said.
Colangelo praised the design and execution of the Manhattanville campus.
“I think it’s great from a design standpoint, they are using a lot of innovative construction methods,” he said. In particular, he mentioned that “they are incorporating a full perimeter of slurry wall.”
“My involvement in Manhattanville has been limited thus far,” he said. “But my company has more work to do in the next couple months, if not years. Currently all we’ve done is drilled piles for a new sewer that is going in to the building.”
At Moretrench, Colangelo has also worked on the Freedom Tower and the Second Avenue subway line, which, along with the Manhattanville campus make for three of the most prominent construction projects currently underway in New York City.
“You could be 200 feet below the streets working below a tunnel, so it’s very disorienting,” he said of working on the subway project.
Colangelo said that in general, his job responsibilities entail making sure foundations hold steady.
“I make sure the foundations below street buildings support the load above it,” he said, adding “a lot of Manhattan, especially lower Manhattan, is made of fill brought from out of state in 1860 and 1920, which can be problematic.”
The Manhattanville facilities, though, present particular challenges, he said.
“Projects that are easy to build are condos and apartments, but these are Columbia facilities so the finishes are high-quality finishes, high-quality materials,” he said.
Colangelo also criticized the many inspection requirements that workers face in Manhattanville.
“There’s a ton of inspectors there that is just excessive—third-party inspectors, Columbia inspectors, city inspectors—for every four workers there could be 10 or 15 inspectors at a time,” he said. “It’s nonsense, it’s just too redundant.”
Overall, Colangelo said, “they are using good engineering practices—the entire complex is really well designed.” He added that the University was using many new, environmentally friendly “green” construction materials.
He also expressed admiration at “the rate at which they are doing everything.”
“Putting a project of that size and scope in Manhattan is incredible,” he said.
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