PROJECT PROFILE
New York City Beach Facilities
Location: New York, New York
Challenge
After Superstorm Sandy devastated New York’s 14 miles of beaches in fall 2012, America’s largest city faced the challenge of quickly rebuilding the infrastructure that serves as a hub for thousands of New Yorkers every summer — and building it strong enough to withstand a similar storm in the future.
Solution
Engineers developed plans for a series of flood-resistant, elevated lifeguard stations and other buildings that could be built and installed before the city’s targeted opening date, Memorial Day 2013.
Based on the extremely accelerated timeline, American Direct was charged with providing temporary openings for the holiday weekend and then replacing them with permanent openings shortly thereafter. With 37 buildings using 12 different designs, this was a huge undertaking.
Using its deep industry ties, American Direct was able to get suppliers to manufacture the special items for on-time delivery, helping New York City get back to a sense of normalcy after the stresses of Sandy.
“Based on several discussions with the manufacturing industry, I wasn’t sure there would be enough (high quality) stainless steel in the marketplace at the time. Working with Ceco and their partner companies, multiple stainless steel factories were employed that could generate what we needed. Coordinating the stainless steel doors shipping from three different locations was critical to our success.”
— John DelCollo, Vice President, Sales Eastern Region, American Direct
