Attack Resistant N.Y. Building Code Urged

NU Online News Service, Sept. 9, 3:22 p.m. EDT?The head of a New York construction industry coalition issued a warning today that building codes for city skyscrapers are "woefully inadequate" to make buildings resistant to destruction by terrorist attack.

The alarm was sounded by Al Gerosa, president of the Concrete Alliance, a coalition of New York construction industry trade unions and contractors, which said it aims to improve the fire and blast safety of the city's commercial and residential buildings. The group is lobbying for requirements for the use of reinforced concrete.

According to Mr. Gerosa, government agencies are overwhelmed and underfunded when it comes to anti-terrorism measures. "It's up to the construction and real estate industries to set higher standards and lead the way for developing new terror-resistant building materials and implementing tougher building codes.

"The mission of the Concrete Alliance is to help avert the type of tragedy we witnessed on 9/11," said Mr. Gerosa. "Countless studies have demonstrated that reinforced cast-in-place concrete offers outstanding blast and fire resistance. Our goal is to educate real-estate developers, insurance companies, architects, engineers, and ordinary citizens to the safety benefits reinforced cast-in-place concrete construction provides."

Mr. Gerosa commented that "ordinary American citizens are on the front lines in the war against terrorism. They deserve the best protection we can provide."

The Concrete Alliance said that since it was formed last year, several leading real estate developers are leaning towards new commercial and institutional building of cast-in-place reinforced concrete. "Developers are reporting that tenants are concerned about the ability of buildings to endure blast and fire damage," said Mr. Gerosa.

Mr. Gerosa said the Concrete Alliance is lobbying New York's Buildings Department to adopt codes, used elsewhere in the U.S. and in Europe, that require concrete as the material for fire emergency stairwells and passages.

"Many emergency stairwells in the World Trade Center were built using only an inch sheetrock as a fire barrier--with disastrous consequences. Cast-in-place reinforced concrete, on the other hand, offers outstanding resistance to explosion or impact," said Mr. Gerosa. "Moreover, it can endure very high temperatures from fire for a long time without loss of structural integrity."

Building with cast-in-place reinforced concrete benefits the city in several other ways, said Mr. Gerosa. "First, building with cast-in-place reinforced concrete is almost always faster; when compared to structural steel--sometimes twice as fast.

"Greater use of cast-in-place reinforced concrete construction also creates more jobs for skilled workers and members of the Alliance's union partners, which include the NYC District Council of Carpenters, Cement & Concrete Workers D.C., Metallic Lathers Union Local 46, United Cement Masons Union Local 780, and Teamsters Union Local 282.

"Government officials say the likelihood of future terror attacks on the United States is virtually certain," said Mr. Gerosa.

"Tenants want the assurance cast-in-place reinforced concrete provides. In the war on terror, we can't skimp on safety Are our leaders listening?"