BUILDINGS > Office Buildings

42nd Street Development Project
New York City, New York, USA

Nielsen-Wurster was retained by the building to provide expert witness analyses and testimony to The New 42nd Street, Inc. (New 42) to recover the damages incurred from the collapse of the Selwyn Office Building. New 42 planned for construction of a new ten-story studio and office building as part of the 42nd Street Development Project in New York City. The new building was to incorporate the original historic terra-cotta façade of the old Selwyn Office Building. However, on the morning of December 30, 1997, the Selwyn Office Building and its historic façade collapsed allegedly due to foundation excavation work on a neighboring construction site. Nielsen-Wurster evaluated the damages incurred on the Project following the collapse of the Selwyn Office Building façade and during the six-month redesign period. The damages resulting from the collapse included direct and indirect costs due to the physical scope changes that were required, value deleted from the building scope as forced savings were required due to budgetary constraints and construction price escalation due to changed market conditions in New York City. The jury awarded the full requested amount on two of the damage categories and over half on the third category.

Niketown Superstore
New York City, New York, USA

The Owner of this high-end retail facility in New York City engaged Nielsen-Wurster to provide independent analyses related to the overall performance of the Contractor. Nielsen-Wurster performed a detailed analysis and evaluation of the Contractor's project management systems and mechanisms employed during the Project's execution. Nielsen-Wurster specifically concentrated on evaluating the scheduling methodology and techniques utilized by the Contractor, as well as the Contractor's management and allocation of resources. In addition, an overall change order analysis was performed. Nielsen-Wurster's expert analyses enabled the Owner to negotiate a favorable settlement.

277 Park Avenue
New York City, New York, USA

Nielsen-Wurster was retained by the building Owner to prepare an expert assessment of the reasonable cost of the expected tenant exit restoration by a major tenant. The exiting tenant was a major international bank that was merging with another international bank and moving to a new headquarters. The bank was a major tenant of 277 Park Avenue, having occupied the majority of the first through 16th floors and had leases for this space which could be extended through 2035. The bank had performed major alterations to its leased floors in the early 1980s, including the addition of significant special use areas and executive offices. In 1993, the bank gave notice of intent to vacate all premises by the end of its current leases in 1994. The bank and the Owner disagreed as to the extent of the required exit work, including the extent and quality of asbestos removal performed by the bank during its alterations. The bank vacated the property without performing any restorations after which the Owner gutted and completely renovated each floor. Nielsen-Wurster prepared an expert report which was filed in the litigation. The court found partially for each party, accepting Nielsen-Wurster’s analyses while finding for the tenant relative to the asbestos issue.

Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse
St. Louis, Illinois, for Rodio, Italy

Nielsen-Wurster provided an in-depth analysis of the Contractor's construction activities and prepared a detailed claim package for compensation due to additional Contractor effort on the Project. The Contractor's contract included design and construction of approximately 330 meters of slurry wall and associated tieback system. The slurry wall was to serve as the foundation of a 29-story Federal Courthouse. Nielsen-Wurster reviewed contract documents, the bid estimate, Project correspondence, schedules, designs and analysis of designs, geotechnical reports, slurry wall and tieback installation records, meeting minutes, Project photographs, and also conducted interviews with Project personnel. Nielsen-Wurster's analysis included a detailed schedule delay evaluation and a comprehensive productivity analysis. Nielsen-Wurster also evaluated the Owner's direction regarding the design of the slurry system and quantified damages due to various changes.

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