Observer » Deutsche Bank Tower

Bring on Abatement, State Says of Deutsche Bank Building

Eliot Brown — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:05:13 -0400

The ever-troubled Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero seems to be moving a bit closer to deconstruction, as the state announced today that it has approved an abatement plan for the tower at 130 Liberty Street.

After a fire at the building killed two firefighters this summer, the deconstruction of the damaged tower was put on hold while officials sorted through the high-profile mess. On top of being strongly associated with the fatal fire and a couple other attention-grabbing accidents at the site, one of the subcontractors on the job, John Galt, was tainted by scandal and mob ties, as the Times revealed, and was booted off the deconstruction team.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation then selected a new general contractor last month, LVI Services, Inc., which plans to mostly remove asbestos before dismantling the building.

Press release below

Abatement plan approved for 130 liberty street

Today, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) announced that it has received approval for the amended plan governing the abatement of 130 Liberty Street. This approved plan will permit LVI Services, Inc., the new subcontractor at 130 Liberty Street, to proceed with the abatement of the building.

Among the key features in the amended plan is the decision to decouple the abatement and deconstruction phases of the project. The building will be now be almost entirely abated first and then deconstructed. The approved plan also contains safety enhancements, including the installation of chemical fire suppression systems in certain areas of the decontamination units and the fire hardening of all decontamination chambers.

“Today, we are one step closer towards the revitalization of Lower Manhattan,” said LMDC Chairman Avi Schick. “The regulatory approval of these modifications to the plans governing the 130 Liberty Street project is a critical milestone that will enable us to fulfill our commitment to complete the abatement and deconstruction safely and expeditiously during 2008.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: “Completing the deconstruction of 130 Liberty Street is essential to rebuilding at the World Trade Center site and to the continuing revitalization of Lower Manhattan, so this is good news for all who live, work and visit Downtown. I also want to recognize the hard work of LMDC Chairman Avi Schick, who has remained committed to ensuring the safety of our community and resolving this matter as quickly as possible.”

“Today, we accepted LMDC’s revised plans to decontaminate its building at 130 Liberty,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator. “I am extremely proud of the efforts of my staff and our regulatory partners in making sure this building comes down in a manner that protects both the workers and the surrounding community.”

“LMDC’s amended plan incorporates critical safety requirements that will protect workers, first responders and the surrounding community,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler. “Along with our partners in State and Federal government, we want to complete work at 130 Liberty Street as quickly as possible, and we all agree that safety must be the primary concern, which this plan recognizes.”

Copies of the amended plans are posted and available on the LMDC website at www.renewnyc.com.

The following agencies provided input and direction and signed off on the approved documents: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Labor, New York State Department of Health, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Buildings, New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Citywide Office of Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, New York City Office of Emergency Management, New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department.

State Enlists Less Scandal-Ridden Contractor to Finish Deutsche Bank Job

Eliot Brown — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:03:51 -0400

Almost five months after a deadly fire halted deconstruction on the former Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero, the state has picked a new contractor to oversee its demolition, New York-based LVI Services (which also specializes in controlling the “superbug” bacteria … just in case).

Ironically, LVI was originally slated to be involved in the deconstruction of the building, though a deal with it and lead contractor Bovis Lend Lease fell apart, according to an August article in The New York Times. As a result of the failed deal, Bovis brought on board the John Galt Corporation, the company that has reportedly come under investigation for the fire on Aug. 18 that killed two firefighters. The Times has more on John Galt here.

Press release from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation below:

NEW SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTED FOR 130 LIBERTY STREET

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) announced today that a subsidiary of LVI Services Inc., the nation’s leader in environmental remediation, will serve as the new subcontractor to complete the abatement and deconstruction of 130 Liberty Street.

LVI is the largest remediation and facility services firm in the United States and has completed more than 15,000 abatement projects since 2000. In 2005 and 2006, LVI was ranked the top asbestos abatement contractor in the country by Engineering News-Record, the leading construction magazine in the United States.

“LVI Environmental Services Inc., a subsidiary of LVI Services Inc., welcomes the opportunity to work with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the community on the cleanup and demolition of 130 Liberty Street,” said Robert McNamara, President and CEO of LVI Services Inc. “We view our work on this project as a chance to further contribute to the vital redevelopment of the World Trade Center complex. LVI was on site in New York and Washington, D.C. immediately following the 9/11 attacks. We continue to perform abatement and demolition work at the Pentagon, and we are protecting the safety of our employees and the thousands who work in and visit the site daily. It is our pledge to perform the job at 130 Liberty Street in the same safe manner for the protection of our employees and the community.”

The retention of LVI comes as LMDC nears completion of the extensive interim safety measures that were undertaken in the aftermath of the tragic August 18, 2007 fire. These measures were devised in close consultation with various federal, State and City agencies that identified a number of additional steps to ensure the safety of first responders, nearby residents, and workers in the building.

This post-fire work included (1) the removal of all the previously-required plywood barriers and hatches that previously separated the floors of the building; (2) the construction of two fire-rated stairwells through the 20^th floor of the building; (3) the resealing of the building; and (4) temporary shoring of area damaged by the fire.

Since the fire, LMDC has been working closely with its partners at the EPA, State Department of Labor, Department of Buildings, FDNY, Department of Environmental Protection and the Office of Emergency Management to make all necessary adjustments or clarifications to the deconstruction and implementation plan to further protect first responders, workers and area residents. The selection of LVI Services guarantees that the abatement and deconstruction of the building will be conducted in the safest and most expeditious manner possible.

“LVI Services Inc. was founded in and is based in New York City, with its corporate headquarters just blocks from the World Trade Center site, and, as such, we have a vested interest in the progress of this city. We are proud of our 20-plus years in the industry as the largest asbestos abatement contractor in the nation, our excellent safety record and our experience with complex projects,” stated LVI Services President Robert McNamara.

For more information on LVI Services, please visit www.lviservices.com.

Paramount Gobbles Deutsche Bank Tower for $500 M.-Plus

Eliot Brown — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:05:12 -0400

The Paramount Group paid more than $500 million for Deutsche Bank’s tower of approximately 700,000 square feet at 31 West 52nd Street, according to a source, bringing the German bank’s tower into the hands of a German landlord.

Paramount, led by CEO Albert Behler and backed by investors in Germany, bought 60 Wall Street earlier this year for $1.2 billion, downtown’s largest ever building deal. The Deutsche Bank tower buy could make the firm particularly hungry to shed its 1177 Avenue of the Americas, the one million-square-foot midtown tower currently on the selling block. Real estate insiders say the price is likely to reach at least $1 billion.

The terms of the Deutsche Bank tower acquisition were signed earlier this month, a bank spokesman confirmed, though the final price could tell much about the market. Few building sales of at least $500 million have closed this last half of 2007, and if the final agreement for the tower was $550 million, for example, the per-square-foot price would be in the neighborhood of $790 a square foot, well under the $1,500 a square foot that some had thought it could go for.

Paramount Group declined to comment, as did a representative from brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle, which represented Paramount on the sale.