Skanska dives deep for latest Staten Island project

Real Estate Weekly, March 12, 2008

Skanska USA Building Inc. announced that commuters at the St. George Ferry Terminal can now enjoy watching saltwater fish from the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean regions while waiting for their ferry to Manhattan. Skanska, which completely renovated the ferry terminal in 2006, managed the construction of the two tanks, unveiled in the waiting room. The tanks measure eight feet tall on their bases.

"This is the not the largest construction project we've ever been involved with, but it's certainly very interesting," said Skanska's Steve Pressler, area general manager for the New York office.

Each tank has 200 fish and more than 2,200 gallons of water. The tanks have three-inch thick acrylic walls, and each tank weighs 10 tons, including the water. Handling the delicate fish was laborious.

"These fish were monitored for a week in two quarantine tanks before they were placed in their new home," said Sam Alacha, Skanska's project manager.

The quarantine tanks helped to get the fish acclimated to their new tanks and to ensure that they were disease-free. The back-up system for the tanks is downstairs in the life support room, which houses filters, heaters, sterilizers, control systems and 14 pumps to keep the fish healthy and thriving.

"The tanks look so beautiful, but a lot of work went into building them," Alacha said. "The pipes for the air, the filters and the feeding tubes, and the electric for the lights and fans, all had to go through the slab, and we had to reinforce the slab with six beams under each tank to support the additional weight."

To finish this project, Skanska managed seven trades, including iron work, masonry, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, terrazzo, and concrete. Subcontractors included a tank manufacturer, a polymer company, an ornamental metal company and a custom coral designer.

Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro provided the funding for the project.

Skanska worked with architectural firm HOK to design the life support room. Thornton Tomasetti, Edwards and Kelcey, and Goldman Copeland were all involved. The Staten Island Zoo provides the maintenance, which is paid for by the Richmond County Savings Foundation.