As engineer-of-record, STV played a major role in “The New York City Waterfalls,” a temporary public art project that ran from June 26 through October 13, 2008. Conceived by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, the installation consisted of four 90-to-120-foot tall man-made waterfalls in New York Harbor. The project was commissioned by Public Art Fund and presented in collaboration with the City of New York.

STV provided structural, civil, environmental permitting and construction inspection services. It prepared and obtained all environmental permits, served as liaison to the environmental regulatory agencies and developed an innovative plan to protect fish and aquatic life.

The four sites were Pier 35 in Lower Manhattan; underneath the Brooklyn Bridge; Brooklyn Piers between Piers 4 and 5; and the north shore of Governors Island. The highest waterfall measured 120 feet and the widest was 80 feet. A proprietary scaffolding system -- originally developed for framing high-rise building hoists and construction elevators – was used for the scaffold structures for the waterfalls. Computer controlled pumps moved thousands of gallons of river water per minute at the four falls. In keeping with Eliasson’s vision, the scaffolding was completely visible in the overall design, yet the cascading water looked realistic, like natural waterfalls. The project won a Diamond Award in the Special Projects category in the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York's 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards.

2008 LEGACY PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Design-Build Institute of America,
New York Tri-State Metro Region
The New York City Waterfalls
New York, NY