Operation Waterproof:
Replacing Damaged Roofs on NAC and Marshak Hall Buildings
Team: Leak Patrol
Calisa Lawrence
Rene Diaz-Rocha
Kenny Rodriguez
Rene Cuadrado
Introduction
There is a huge leakage problem in our educational institution: The City College of New York. There is strong evidence of water leaking through the ceiling in various locations of these buildings during rainy weather. Evidence of this can be seen in figures 1-3 in the appendix. The problem is so bad that some of the members of Leak Patrol have experienced massive amounts of water leaking from the ceiling above them while sitting in some of the lecture halls in the Marshak Science Building.
Over the course of time, water entering from the roof will damage classrooms and continue to worsen the already deteriorating conditions. If this problem is not resolved, it may escalate and result in expensive lawsuits due to the health hazards that standing water and mold may present. In order to prevent lawsuits and the worsening conditions of the campus, it is best to take immediate action. We, Leak Patrol, propose a plan to replace the damaged roofs in the North Academic Center (NAC) and the Marshak Science Building in order to decrease the amount of damage to both the students and faculty of City College and the campus itself.
Action Plan
We propose repairing and waterproofing sections of the exterior roofs in two of the buildings on
The City College of New York’s Campus. These proposed fixes shall take place in the Marshak
Science Building and the NAC.
1. Locate and take note of the source of the leak to find out where, specifically, it is coming from and how far the damage spans.
2. Get an estimate of the square footage of the affected area and draw layouts.
3. Contact architecture or roofing firms and get an estimate on the amount of time needed and the projected cost of fixing the roofs; This is includes material costs and costs of labor.
4. Contact Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to petition for the roof replacement project funding.
5. Create a schedule and a plan to vacate the construction areas in order to assure that passerbys won’t get hurt by the ongoing construction.
Schedule
Replacing a roof is a very complex project. Leak Patrol began our research through personal communication by contacting Jameel Raeburn, assistant at the Campus Planning office at the City College of New York, via email on October 23, 2018. Fortunately, he told us that the college is aware of the water-leakage problem and has completed an assessment of the damage throughout its campus. Mr. Raeburn gave us the exact square footages of the affected areas of the Marshak and North Academic Center; he cited the 2017 Campus Wide Roof Assessment Study from the Campus Planning office prepared by Darek Letkiewicz, P.E., CEM, LEED AP, Vice President O’Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc. The affected area on the Marshak Plaza Roof that needs to be replaced is estimated to be 85,031 square feet. The North Academic Center has three areas where the roof need to be replaced. The first area is above the NAC rotunda lobby, the courtyard, and the NAC plaza, which spans 12,003 square feet. The second area is right above academic offices, which spans 20,485 square feet. Finally, the third area is above the support stairs, which spans 555 square feet.
The Leak Patrol member, Rene Diaz-Rocha, met personally with Sergio Diaz in his office at 50 Rockefeller Plaza #1, New York, NY, to obtain the information necessary to estimate the amount of time needed to execute a project of this magnitude. Sergio is the foreman and project manager for Osman Limited, a large scale roofing contractor. Sergio and his team would take four to five hours dismantling an area of 2,000 square feet of the old damaged roof and four to five hours to install the new roof. The Marshak Plaza roof, which estimates 85,031 square feet, would take approximately five days to set up the required scaffolding and 43 days to work on the roof. However, the project could span from four to six months to account for rainy weather, weekends, and unforeseeable circumstances. In the North Academic Center, the three areas that need to be replaced can be combined into one single project. The total area that needs to be replaced is approximately 35,000 square feet. The roofs will take about 15 days to set up scaffolding and 17 days of labor. Sergio told me that it could take about 2 to 3 months due to the aforementioned reasons.
Cost and Benefits
Sergio explained that it is much better to do a full replacement of an entire roof rather than fixing patches because a new roof will last for at least 35 years in New York’s weather climate and it will guarantee that every possible point of entry for water is sealed. Moreover, Osman Ltd. offers a 35 year guarantee on any replacement roof they install. Considering wages and materials, Sergio estimated that the costs of replacing the Marshak Hall Plaza roof to be $1,190,434 dollars while the combined NAC roofs would total $561,731 dollars. Both projects combined will cost $1,752,165 dollars and will span 118,074 square feet. According to the capital projects list posted on the CCNY office of facilities management website, ongoing projects regarding roof replacements in Baskerville Hall are funded by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). Gerrard P. Bushell, Ph.D. President & CEO of DASNY describes the organization as “New York State’s developer, financing and building the health and education infrastructure that forms the backbone of inclusive, sustainable communities to help them compete for jobs on the global stage” (“What We Do,” n.d.). This means that thanks to this organization, which funds academic infrastructure projects throughout New York State, the money won’t have to come out from the CCNY’s
budget.
One benefit to getting the roofs of these buildings repaired is to prevent slips and falls by the students and faculty. Not only would we ward off injuries and life altering damage from someone slipping, but we could potentially eliminate an expensive lawsuit that could add up to
the cost that it would take to fix the roof. There have been cases where settlements have reached to $2.3 million in damages. A man was walking down the aisle of a Kroger Grocery Store, slipped and fell landing on his back; this accident resulted in a spinal cord injury which resultedin medical treatment and him not being able to return to work (Childers, Schlueter, & Smith LLC, 2015). In the event that cases like these happen to CCNY, it would take away money from the school’s budget.
Another benefit is that replacing the roofs can prevent the build up of mold. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (2017), “ Mold will grow in places with a lot of moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been flooding.” It is common knowledge that mold can grow in moist warm environments. If left untreated, it could lead to serious health risks. Not everyone may suffer from the effects of mold but it is dangerous to disregard the few that do. For some people, these health risks include allergic reactions, such as rashes, and severe asthma attacks (“Moisture and Mold Problems”, n.d.). What makes the situation worse is that there is mold growing above the ceiling in most rooms and this means that teachers and students are sitting in moldy rooms for extended period of time. If a student is paying to go to a school, why should they have to endure these terrible conditions?
Experience
Conclusion
The City College of New York needs to replace its damaged roofs on the NAC and Marshak Science buildings. This is a project that would not impact the school’s cash reserves but allowing these hazardous conditions to exist at the school can lead to very expensive consequences. The project will take a maximum of nine months and the replacement roofs will last for at least 35 years, as guaranteed by the contractor. It is the schools moral responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all. The project will eliminate possible slips and falls injuries caused by water leaking from the damaged roofs when it rains. The project will also prevent mold buildup
that can potentially jeopardize the health of some students and staff. Something has to be done about this issue because the students and faculty at CCNY deserve better.
References
Capital Projects List. (2018, November 08). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from
https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/facilities/capital-projects-list
Childers Schlueter & Smith, LLC.
$2.3 Million Awarded to Customer in Slip-and-Fall Lawsuit
Against Kroger. (2015, February 24). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from
http://www.cssfirm.com/2012/02/02/slip-and-fall-lawsuit-against-kroger/
Facts About Mold and Dampness. (2017, September 05). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from
https://www.cdc.gov/mold/dampness_facts.htm
Moisture and Mold Problems: Preventing and Solving Them in Your Home. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 11, 2018, from https://www.webmd.com/women/mold-mildew#1
What We Do. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 18, from https://www.dasny.org/about-us
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