One Bryant Park is one of the many buildings in New York City for which IBA has served as a consultant.

Premier Business Partners:

Durst Organization Ismael Leyva Architects Jack Resnick & Sons Tishman Speyer Properties

The firm works with property owners, architects and construction managers, and provides its services at all stages of construction – from conception to completion. IBA’s capabilities include all aspects of design, fabrication and testing of curtain wall, window, roofing and waterproofing assemblies. In addition, IBA conducts investigations and evaluations of building envelopes on existing structures. For example, IBA performed extensive investigative and insurance settlement repair work in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The relationship IBA develops with its clients begins with meetings between the firm and the owner/architect design team. The parties evaluate logistics, constructability, practicality and economics of the the building envelope systems being proposed. Subsequent to the design selection, IBA reviews the contract drawings and specifications, and establishes testing and performance criteria.

The firm helps prepare a list of proposed contractors and then participates in the bid meetings to ensure the work scope is appropriately included in all proposals. Next, the firm assists in the shop-drawing and submittal review process. In certain instances, IBA may recommend mock-up testing. This involves building a portion of a proposed exterior wall system one- or two-bays wide by approximately two-stories tall that includes all elements of a design. In some instances, dynamic and blast testing is performed to ensure compliance with security criteria.

The mock-up is put through a regimen of testing – including seismic, wind load and water infiltration – at a testing lab.
Based upon all meetings and testing, the contractor will then submit a revised set of drawings. IBA then gets involved in shop monitoring and visiting manufacturers’ plants. A large part of IBA’s role is to perform site monitoring to ensure quality control and code compliance is maintained. The firm also offers failure analysis and investigation.  

Construction Today spoke with President Berger and Vice President Marc Weissbach to learn more about IBA’s services and projects.

Construction Today: Where does IBA perform most of its work?
Marc Weissbach: The demand for our services is worldwide, but there tends to be a focus in areas where there are tall, complex and expensive buildings. The New York metro area is certainly our largest region, but we are concentrated in several urban markets. For example, we have a lot of projects in Las Vegas and South America. As more parts of the world build taller, more complicated buildings, we are expanding along with that.

CT: Are most of your jobs high rises?
MW: Actually, our portfolio varies tremendously. Four or five years ago, we had a high percent of our work in condos and residential buildings. But, in the last two or three years, our work in office buildings, institutional buildings and sports arenas has really picked up.

So, it runs the gamut, based on cyclical construction trends.

CT: What other trends are impacting the business?
Israel Burger: Architects are pushing the envelope on building envelopes. For example, in the ’70s and ’80s, the curtain wall was the curtain wall – you could predict what it would be like. It was very standardized. But, in the last five or 10 years, the world-renowned architects have taken a more daring view of what buildings could look like – with curtain wall designs that did not exist before. Many of the curtain walls we work on are custom-designed, and the stakes are very high.