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On site: recording at the renovation of $ 2 billion in Waldorf Astoria

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A beam listed in structural drawings while a foot wide turned out to be three, an early overview of the conditions that the crews encountered throughout the renovation of the Waldorf Astoria New York.

The Landmark Hotel closed in 2017 to undergo a huge Upgrade of $ 2 billion aimed at converting part of the building into luxury condominiums while restaurants its historic interiors. Suffolk, based in Boston, the general entrepreneur of the project, strengthened the structural elements of aging and replaced the obsolete infrastructure hidden under walls and floors, including beams that no longer met modern requirements.

The work marked a central phase in a general restoration.

Head of the head of Carmine Favia

Carmine Favia

Permission granted by Suffolk

“What really brought out the others is that it was not only construction or new construction, but the fact that it was renovation work with a historic aspect of monument,” said Carmine Favia, superintendent general in Suffolk. “It’s largely like that, a bite at the same time.”

The project included both residential and hotel components, according to the entrepreneur. Suffolk managed the work by dividing it into three distinct teams – residential, hotel and basic infrastructure – each with its own project manager and superintendent. A fourth executive supervised the three to maintain continuity through the operation, said Kevin Mangan, project director at Suffolk.

Waldorf silver corridor ceiling under construction

A worker of the construction of Suffolk crosses the silver corridor during the renovations of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, NY

Permission granted by Suffolk

A central challenge revolved around the preservation of the historical identity of the Waldorf while installing modern equipment and infrastructure. To do this, Suffolk first withdrew, cataloged and stored original plaster elements, furniture, metal details and off -site stone in climate -controlled warehouses.

The team then took mussels of fragile decorative parts which could not be recovered to reproduce them for the installation. Some of the most complex restoration work in the building required supply craftsmen with niche skills, such as the application of the gold leaf and silver paper, to bring the interiors back to their original look.

Suffolk Waldorf Grand Grand Ballroom Ceiling Restoration

A worker restores the ceiling of the large ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, NY

Permission granted by Suffolk

The silver corridor stands out among the jewels of the catering crown, said Favia.

Centennial wall paintings, displaced from the original Waldorf near the State Building Empire, now line the walls after the crews reinstalled and restored. The teams also removed a mechanical room later added to reopen the Basildon courtyard, restaurant its original 1920s configuration. Other additions included historical spaces such as the Grand Ballroom, where the teams installed modern MEP systems above delicate interiors.

“He looks well on paper, but when you are going to put it, it’s actually 10 times more difficult,” said Favia. “Some of these walls are 20 feet high, made of terracotta blocks, and you wonder how they are still standing after all these years.”

For example, Waldorf’s slabs were not made of reinforced concrete of eight inches today, said Favia. Instead, some floors have been built from a mixture of concrete blocks, terracotta and a draped chicken thread coated with ash concrete.

Tech to solve old -fashioned problems

Suffolk scanned the entire building using Planit, a laser scanning tool from the technological company. This allowed the teams to detect the differences early before installation, ultimately preventing expensive delays and touch -ups.

Kevin Mangan

Kevin Mangan

Permission granted by Suffolk

The team also used the Suffolk Plan + Control process to merge the drawing sets in a coordinated model, identifying the problems before the start of work.

“It is used for mechanical coordination, and it is used for layout, and it helps us try to identify the constraints and conflicts that you will not necessarily obtain in the traditional,” said Mangan. “You solve a large majority of problems before starting on the ground.”

Suffolk has used Proxy Project Management software for all deposits and financial processing, RFI and documentation, and OpenSpace to provide a visual recording of the construction of the demo to the closing. The entrepreneur also installed Wint, a smart water monitoring system, to report leaks and avoid costly water damage.

Suffolk Waldorf Pinnacle under construction

The Pincale du Waldorf Astoria surrounded by scaffolding during the renovation work.

Permission granted by Suffolk

Waldorf Astoria’s hotel game should reopen in 2025, Mangan said. The residential side will follow in 2026.

“Honestly, I never think in my life again, or someone else, I will do something like that in their lives,” said Favia. “It’s really a unique job for all of us.”

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