An innovative system incorporating advanced GNSS and robotic total station solutions provides accurate alignment information in support of a new super-tall building at 217 West 57th Street in New York City.
Norcross, GA, June 16, 2015 – When the new Extell luxury high-rise building goes up at 217 West 57th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, the vertical alignment of the core-wall structure will be crucial to success. This internal core structure will rise almost 1500 feet above the ground and will be the reference for all other building construction, making its construction one of the most mission-critical aspects of the entire project.
Pinnacle Industries, the concrete contractor responsible for building the structure, has invested in an innovative core-wall alignment system. Consisting of advanced GNSS and robotic total station solutions, the Vertical Alignment System from Leica Geosystems will be used as each floor is constructed to ensure the overall vertical geometry of the structure. High-end training from Leica Geosystems will provide the support and knowledge transfer needed to achieve successful adoption of this innovative approach.
The project is noteworthy for a number of reasons. With an overall roof height of 1479 feet (1775 feet to top of spire), the new building will dominate the Midtown skline and will be the tallest residential building in the world. It will also mark the introduction of Nordstrom Inc. to New York City. The architect of record, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, is the firm behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest commerical building in the world.
According to David Rutledge, director of structural monitoring for Leica Geosystems’ Monitoring Solutions business in North America, Pinnacle Industries chose the Leica Geosystems Vertical Alignment System for its ability to reliably and quickly make alignment adjustments to the forming traveler that will be used to construct each floor. The Leica GM10 GNSS instruments in particular were chosen for their ability to produce highly accurate 3D position coordinates.
“It’s very exciting to be involved with the soon-to-be tallest residential building in the world,” Rutledge said. “Pinnacle is an industry leader in this type of construction, and we feel honored to have been selected by the team. Leica Geosystems’ solutions provide exceptionally high accuracy and outstanding performance, making them ideally suited for the high productivity demanded on projects like this. We’re thrilled to be able to play a supporting role in this significant and historic project.”
For more information about precision monitoring and surveying solutions, visit www.leica-geosystems.us.
Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of experience pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information. Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3,800 employees in 33 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world.