Waterfront Takes Shape in Allentown, PA

Waterfront Allentown - Cope Linder ArchitectsA dynamic new development will be taking shape along the Lehigh River in Allentown, and Barry Isett & Associates (BIA) is proud to be part of the design team.  Developed by Waterfront Redevelopment Partners LP,  a partnership between Dunn Twiggar Company LLC, Michael Dunn Co. Ltd. and Jaindl Properties LLC,  the project will transform 26 industrial acres into a mixed-use community.  According to the Master Plan presented to the Allentown City Planning Commission in December, the Waterfront is expected to feature 12 buildings encompassing 610,000 SF of office space, 172 residential apartments, and 130,000 SF of retail space.  Working in association with Cope Linder Architects, BIA is providing surveys, site/civil design and permitting, landscape architecture and traffic engineering.

The project will include walking trails along a half-mile of river frontage, a dynamic streetscape, two main plazas, encompassing more than seven acres.  New boating facilities will be created along the Lehigh River.  Several multi-level garages will provide parking for 2,800 cars.

Full engineering and architectural plans are in development to move through the approval process in 2013.  Project owners anticipate construction to start in 2014 with initial occupancy beginning in 2016.  The project is located in Allentown’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone.

IN THE WORKS: HIGHER EDUCATION

The many fine institutions of higher education located throughout Pennsylvania and beyond enhance the quality of life for residents of the community at large, as well as educating the students enrolled. Barry Isett & Associates is privileged to put our engineering skills to the service of a wide variety of institutions, working with them directly or as engineering consultant of a design team.  Here’s a snapshot of some current projects.

Lafayette College, Easton, PA  

Members of the Easton community played an instrumental role in the visioning of the latest Master Plan which identified as a goal the enhancement “of campus portals and edges to identify Lafayette College as a memorable place.” As a result, a design/build gateway project is now in construction at four key campus sites.  The BIA design team of landscape architects, surveyors, structural  engineers, traffic engineers, construction services, and civil engineers worked together on this project with Whiting-Turner. 

Elsewhere on the campus, Gund Partnership of Cambridge, MA is working with BIA’s survey, landscape architecture, structural engineering and site/civil team in the design of a new 14,000 SF two-story Visitors’ Center and new Oxley Center for Global Education. Both projects are expected to break ground in 2013.

DeSales University, Center Valley, PA 

The Gambet Center for Business & Healthcare Education will be equipped with smart classrooms and specialized laboratory space when it is dedicated in spring 2014.  The 70,000 SF building is expected to achieve LEED certification. BIA provided full site engineering, environmental services, surveys, and landscape architecture services as well as structural engineering in coordination with the project architectural team, Breslin Ridyard Fadero, of Allentown, PA. BIA has been providing engineering, surveying  and related services to DeSales University since 1977.  Another recent project is the design of electrical upgrades to the Labuda Center for Performing Arts.

Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 

East Hall, a dorm which dates to the early 20^th Century, is undergoing an extensive renovation designed by Spillman Farmer Architects, Bethlehem, PA.  A three-story addition will provide 12 new dorm rooms served by an elevator and stairwell. BIA is the structural engineer.

Elon University, Elon, NC

BIA has assisted Spillman Farmer Architects in the structural engineering design on more than a dozen projects on the 620 acre campus of North Carolina’s Elon University.  Now under construction is the expansive Global Village, a community overlooking Lake Mary Nell comprised of five dormitories and a 40,000 SF Commons Building that will feature the Isabella Cannon International Centre, classrooms, faculty offices, study rooms, a theater, café  and gathering spaces.

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLC of NYC has engaged BIA for civil engineering and topographic surveys in renovations of Williams Hall. Constructed in 1903, the four-story hall formerly housed science classrooms and research labs. Expected to achieve LEED certification, the building update will include classrooms, office suites, and gathering spaces. The offices of the Dean of Student Life and Student Services and departments of Modern Languages and Literature, Sociology and Anthropology, Religion Studies and the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs will relocate here.

The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant

Nata Metlukh is a San Francisco-based artist specializing in editorial and children’s illustration. In an ancient story, a wise man leads five blind men  to an elephant and asks each man to describe the animal.  The first man explores the massive sides of the beast and declares the elephant is like a wall. The second grabs the tail and exclaims “It is a rope!”  The third runs his hands over the ears and announces the creature is as flexible as a boat sail; the fourth strokes the trunk and decides it is just like a snake; the fifth grabs a leg and announces it is a pillar.

“You are all correct,” says the wise man. “You have described what you have experienced. But the totality is something much larger and different.”

Just like the elephant in the fable, Barry Isett & Associates, as a multi-discipline engineering firm with nine departments, is sometimes perceived as just a portion of the sum of all our parts.  A number of clients consider BIA their “go to”  for a specific discipline, such as civil engineering or environmental consulting. Others regard us as their pre-qualified surveyor, or the structural engineer of choice, the forensic engineer to call in an emergency, or their selected MEP engineer.   To still others, we are their municipal engineer, engineer of record, or code consultant.  BIA is all of those things, but we are even more.

Under the guidance of an overall engineering project manager, BIA departments provide synergistic service – a single engineering source appreciated by many clients.  A current multi-discipline project is Hazleton Area School District’s Maple Manor Elementary/Middle School designed by Crabtree Rohrbach & Associates Architects of Mechanicsburg, PA.  Members of BIA’s survey, environmental, landscape architecture and civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering teams are all engaged in the project, which involves the renovation of the former Bishop Haffey High School, and the design and construction of a two-story 30,000 SF addition to transform the building into a school with 40 classrooms that will serve K-8th grade students.

At the Coatesville Veterans Administration Medical Center, another multi-discipline BIA team is developing solutions to repair underground corridors that interconnect buildings. Used by staff and patient transport, the corridors have been damaged by water infiltration over the years. Our team is providing forensic investigation to determine the extent of the damage, testing for the potential presence of asbestos, developing improvements to drainage and stormwater systems, conducting topographic surveys and preparing landscape plans required due to the improvements.  BIA will prepare construction documents, assist with the bidding and provide services through project close out.

While we are happy to provide solo services, we offer streamlined project communication and coordination in multi-discipline projects. 

Click here for the entire picture of BIA services.

Work at Iron Furnaces set to wrap up

Officials hope to see masonry repair work on the Scranton Iron Furnaces done by the end of the month, far ahead of schedule. FULL ARTICLE http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/work-at-iron-furnaces-set-to-wrap-up-1.1363979

Project Spotlight: Jordan Creek Greenway Trail

Lehigh Valley residents who enjoy hiking and bicycling have been watching with great anticipation the progress of the Jordan Creek Greenway Trail. As outlined in a 2009 feasibility study prepared by Wildlands Conservancy, the finished project is envisioned to be a 53-mile-long active greenway to link the City of Allentown’s Jordan Meadows Park with the Appalachian Trail in northwestern Lehigh County.  Under the Conservancy’s direction various sections of an 11-mile segment of the trail to connect Allentown with the Trexler Nature Preserve are now in design or development.  Barry Isett & Associates has been selected to design and obtain approvals for a South Whitehall Township portion of the trail that runs from Covered Bridge Park west through four properties, under the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Route 309. 

The off road trail will typically be in the floodplain within 50 feet of the banks of the Jordan Creek.  Depending on topography, some sections of the trail will be an elevated boardwalk and a pedestrian bridge will cross the creek to connect to Covered Bridge Park.  A fence on the side of the trail opposite from the creek will protect private property and keep trail users within the easement.  Riparian buffer vegetation of native species will be planted around the trail to provide seasonal interest, stabilize the surface, and provide visual buffering from neighboring properties. 

The project involves meetings with the client and property owners and extensive coordination with permitting agencies including South Whitehall Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, the PA DEP, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Lehigh County Conservation District, PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. 

As a multi-discipline firm, BIA is ideally suited for this project.  In addition to BIA’s landscape architecture team, the project involves BIA’s Construction Services Department for cost estimating, our Code Department for review services, the traffic group for PennDOT and turnpike issues, our Environmental Department for soil and wetland issues, and Structural Engineering Department for bridge and boardwalk design.  BIA’s trail section is anticipated to be bid in 2013 and constructed for opening in early 2014.