New York City is passionate about preserving and protecting its landmarks and historic districts. This passion runs so deep that the city passed the Landmarks Law in 1965 and formed the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). This agency not only identifies and designates landmarks and historical districts in New York City, it also enacts policies to protect these structures, properties and objects that are meaningful to the heritage and culture of the community. One such landmark protection policy is the Technical Policy and Procedure Notice #10/88 (TPPN 10/88).
In the following article, we’ll explain the role TPPN 10/88 plays in the protection and preservation of landmarks, historic districts and surrounding structures. We will also demonstrate how Saltus Construction Monitoring Services helps architects and engineers remain compliant with this strict policy during every phase of construction.
What is Technical Policy and Procedure Notice #10/88 (TPPN 10/88)?
In the plainest terms, the TPPN 10/88 is the code that requires surveying and monitoring of all historic buildings, landmarks and historic districts within a 90 foot radius of the construction site in New York City.
Enacted by the New York City Department of Buildings (NYCDOB) in 1988, TPPN 10/88 provides greater protection to historic buildings and districts. Many phases of the construction process (especially excavation, foundation and demolition work) often produce vibrations that may negatively impact the structural integrity of the surrounding buildings. Since landmark buildings are older and fragile in many ways, they are more vulnerable to these vibrations.
To protect these historic buildings from vibrations that could exceed the threshold for permissible vertical and horizontal movement, the construction project leaders are required by law to survey and monitor these buildings for vibrations, cracks and movements.
Since these actions ensure compliance with TPPN 10/88, construction project teams need to rely on the services of qualified optical and vibration monitoring specialists. That’s where our team enters the picture.
Stay TPPN 10/88 Compliant with Saltus Construction Monitoring Services
With over 30 years of experience in the construction industry, our team has the insight, knowledge and cutting-edge technology and equipment to provide all of the necessary services to ensure TPPN 10/88 compliance:
- Existing Conditions Documentation – Before construction begins, our certified specialists inspect all surrounding historic buildings and execute photographic documentation of all existing issues. During their inspection, they will also locate any areas that require the installation of crack gauges and vibration monitoring sensors. When construction is completed, our technicians conduct follow-up inspection and photographic documentation services.
- Vibration Monitoring – Saltus provides two options for this service:
- Wireless Vibration Monitoring – Our team installs automated seismographic equipment in the identified structures to record and report any spikes in vibrations and send real-time alerts to the project team.
- Manned Vibration Monitoring – A certified technician arrives on-site to monitor all data gathered by the seismographic equipment. If the technician identifies vibrations that may impact landmarks, they will immediately notify the project team.
- Optical Structuring Surveying – To ensure that construction is not causing horizontal or vertical movement in the surrounding landmark buildings, Saltus offers optical structural surveying services in two options:
- Manned Total Stations – Saltus surveyors manually operate total stations on the construction site to set up benchmarks and document any movement. If any movement is detected, the surveyor provides a report for the project team.
- Automated Motorized Total Stations (AMTS) – This option provides continuous monitoring of historic buildings during the entire construction process. Completely automated, this option supplies real-time detail, documentation and accuracy without the need of an on-site surveyor/operator.
- Crack Gauge Monitoring – After the existing conditions documentation is conducted, technicians install these monitoring devices to track and record the cracks’ progress during the construction process to identify any further concerns. This service is available in two options:
- Wireless Crack Gauge Monitoring – An automated system that provides continuous reading and reporting.
- Stationary Crack Gauge Monitoring – A certified technician conducts scheduled visits to the construction zone to manually collect, read and report data.
If you’re an architect, engineer or project leader who needs construction monitoring and surveying services to remain in full compliance with TPPN 10/88, Saltus is the right choice for you. Our team of trained professionals can perform documentation, identify areas of concern, and install or operate the necessary equipment to provide you with the necessary data, analytics and reporting capabilities to ensure that your project remains TPPN 10/88 compliant during every phase of construction.
Contact us today to see how Saltus can help with your construction monitoring needs!