Saturday, August 8, 2009

Concrete testing problems continue

From the NY Times:

Nearly a year after New York City said it had a plan to retest the concrete in an untold number of buildings because a testing company was suspected of failing to perform required tests or falsifying results on scores of projects, only a handful of buildings have been retested.

The City Department of Buildings first learned of the allegations against the company, Testwell Laboratories, in June 2008, and two months later, an official said that the agency had developed a plan to begin the required retesting. In October 2008, when several company officials and employees were charged in the case — accusations that involved some of the city’s highest-profile construction projects — the Buildings Department received a formal list of the affected buildings.

But the agency still has not re-evaluated the strength of the concrete in almost all of the 60 buildings that must be tested. The delay, according to the Buildings Department spokesman, Tony Sclafani, stems from the nature and complexity of the task and the number and range of parties involved.

11 comments:

Building on Your Head Party said...

Why do we need concrete that is "properly formulated." Do you want buildings to last 100 years?

More construction now!

Anonymous said...

Why stop at concrete?

How about wiring?

How about foundations?

How about third world labor with no training?

M. Bloomturd said...

"Why stop at concrete?

How about wiring?

How about foundations?

How about third world labor with no training?"

What the heck? Are you trying to blow my cover?

neversleep said...

Oh yes anonymous, we can't expect those backward third-worlders to understand breakthrough technologies like cement.

Consider the extensive training required of a concrete laborer-- getting those complicated rubber boots on the correct foot, learning to drive a shovel.

They probably never even saw a concrete foundation until they got here-- they make them out of corn where they come from.

Sheesh.

Queens Crapper said...

"Oh yes anonymous, we can't expect those backward third-worlders to understand breakthrough technologies like cement."

If they aren't trained properly (and God knows they aren't), we can't expect them to. That's the point.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes anonymous, we can't expect those backward third-worlders to understand breakthrough technologies like cement.

Here is a fireball. Ever see a poorly laid sidewalk? Think building is just pounding away on a nail?

Take a look at a streetscape in a third world country. Take a look a a street scape in NYC about 20 years ago.

See any difference?

Anonymous said...

All joking aside there is actually a science to concrete and cement. It is actually possible to formulate concrete so that it will float, and the American Society of Civil Engineers hosts a Concrete Canoe contest every year, so this material can be formulated in many different ways.

KG2V said...

good entry on concrete ships

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_ship

just about anything will float, you just have to displace enough water so it masses more than your own mass

Anonymous said...

If you put a Bloomturd in water, it too will float...even with a heart of stone!

Anonymous said...

looks like a thread hijacked by the jokers at astorians.com

take a serious topic, and make it stupid

Anonymous said...

take a serious topic, and make it stupid

Apparently everyone has to conform to your standards of commentary and cannot add a touch of humor to the topic. This goes on all of the time on this blog but now you complain? Perhaps you are too stupid to have a sense of humor? Besides freedom of speech, what other rights would you recommend that we give up? Finally, people from all over Queens and beyond read the blog so what agenda do you attribute to astorians.com? Explain yourself before making a "stupid" complaint about comments from others. I think that most people enjoy reading the lighter comments as well as the serious ones and most of us can, fortunately, tell the difference! It is not bloggers but the city who need to make sure that rules are followed carefully, especially when it comes to construction.