Think...
- Greg Mulac
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
The Q3 & Q4-2025 Newsletter from ATLAS consultants llc
Oops!
It seems like we were just celebrating the 4th of July, and suddenly it's already November! I apologize for not posting the Q3-2025 newsletter. My reason is that I got extremely busy with both work and personal matters, and I just didn't manage to complete it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
This is the eighth (and ninth) edition of the ATLAS newsletter, inspired by the Think... section of the ATLAS website. The word think was deliberately chosen for the page title. It's been my experience that the time and effort needed for critical thinking is often challenged by various competing demands. Without the chance to truly think and understand an issue, we tend to fall back on default positions. Although these default reactions are generally based on experience, or a particular experience, and they may not be "wrong", they could cause us to overlook opportunities for realizing better solutions and in turn greater benefits. I briefly discussed this in a blog post from February 2023 ("Seasoned, Learning from Lessons Lived"). This quarterly newsletter shares some perspectives, and explores some topics, hopefully encouraging us to Think.
As I said in the opening, here we are, already in November. Fall is a favorite season of mine, it's the season where we leave the warmth of summer, and prepare for the chill of winter. The leaves on the trees are changing colors and starting to fall, the air is crisp, we had some fun on Halloween, and we're looking forward to giving thanks at the end of the month. Fall is a season rich in beauty and cultural significance. It's unique characteristics and activities make it a time of celebration and reflection, as nature prepares for the winter ahead.
I'll follow these autumnal themes of Celebration, Preparation & Reflection in this combined Q3 & Q4-2025 edition of the ATLAS newsletter, as I share some information on a great project that was just recently completed by Quarra Stone Company (www.quarrastone.com)
Celebration!
Quarra Stone Company recently completed the Maya Lin art installation "A Parallel Nature" at the new
JP Morgan Chase global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in New York City. There are a number of features in this Foster + Partners designed 60-story skyscraper that re-define the workplace for employees, clients and the community. "A Parallel Nature," anchors the vibrant streetscape and outdoor amenities that activate the plaza at the base of the building.
Foster + Partners served as the lead architect for the building’s design, with Tishman Speyer as the developer manager. Adamson Associate Architects served as the architect of record and executive architect, with Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B) as the mechanical and services engineers. In addition to Foster + Partners, interior spaces were designed by Gensler, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and STUDIOS. Vishaan Chakrabarti, Architect and Founder of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism served as the project’s overall design advisor. The construction project was managed by AECOM Tishman, with New York City Constructors overseeing the frame’s installation and Severud Associates serving as the structural engineer. JRM Construction Management, Structure Tone Building Group, and McKissack, Turner and Valez (MTV) performed the fit-out of the interior spaces. For more information on the project, visit the link below:
A Parallel Nature
Artist: Maya Lin
Design-Assist Partner & Fabricator: Quarra Stone Company, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Structural Engineering:
Atelier 1, London, England
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
Metal Fabrications:
Coenen Mechanical, Appleton Wisconsin
Quarry:
Barre Grey Granite Quarry, Vermont [Polycor's Rock of Ages Quarry]
Mason (Installation): Atlantic Wall Systems
Congratulations to the Quarra team on bringing Maya Lin's vision to reality! This installation can be described in many ways, but from my perspective the most accurate adjective is "complex." Complexity in the Art; the Engineering; the Fabrication; the Installation; and the relationships within the team itself.
Quarra Stone Company engaged ATLAS in 2022 to develop the framework for a design-assist process that would support the the needs of the Client, the Art, the Artist, the Fabricator, and the Mason.
This "system of play" allowed for the freedom that the Artist needed to advance the art through it's natural iterative process. While this workable framework didn't stifle the Artist, it also respected the realities of funding and time. A series of milestones were established that provided concurrent updates on the Art, the Budget, the Schedule, and Constructability. The concept is familiar to me, through my preconstruction and construction experience with notable architects and projects. So I will readily admit that the temptation was to revert to those experiences. Instead, I followed my own advice, found in the preamble of the newsletter:
"Although these default reactions are generally based on experience, or a particular experience,
and they may not be "wrong", they could cause us to overlook opportunities for realizing greater benefits."
Think...
So that's what I did. I sought to understand the process of assisting the design and fabrication of fine art in stone. The design process in this case was much more fluid, less predictable than the design of a building. The development of an Art Installation,is similar to the preconstruction process of a building project. However, the balancing of the Art, Cost, Constructability and Schedule is a just a bit more complicated.
The big difference between the design-assist process employed here and the preconstruction process of a Building Project is in the existence of common systems. In building design and construction, these systems, their general performance characteristics and general cost are understood by all stakeholders (Owner, Architect, Engineer, Builder). These building systems (whether foundations, structural frames, electrical distribution, etc.) create a common language among stakeholders as the building design advances. Additionally, these systems have a seemingly unlimited number of built buildings that serve as exemplars, real-life examples that can provide the beginning of a basis of design. Common building system narratives that are generated early in the design process, are tailored to a particular building design. With this common understanding, the whole building project team should be in the same ballpark regarding the goals of the aesthetic, function and operation of the building.
So when we look at this installation and its complexities, there aren't really exemplars. Yet, design, dollars and schedule still live together, and the success of the project remains directly related to the concurrent development of, in this case, the Art, the budget and the schedule. The team developed a way to look at, and manage, the interplay of all the features that were to be part of the artwork.
After Maya Lin identified specific granite walls in Central Park, the QSC team digitally scanned them to develop the initial modeling of the two facades. This model was then manipulated by the artist to achieve her intent and develop the installation. This iterative process advanced while QSC began developing the fabrication and installation methodology that would create the overlapping joints. The installation was not "panelized" but fabricated as individual stone pieces of varying sizes, reliefs and thicknesses, that would impose very individual structural loads to the support system, and the building itself. To achieve the overlapping effect and accommodate the live plant growth & irrigation system, a specific installation sequence was developed.
The greatly varied thickness of the individual pieces of the facades would obviously create different loads throughout the installation that had to be supported and transferred to the building structure. These loads worked within the structural capacities of the substrate (read here, the building itself), to eliminate any modifications to the existing structure. The design addressed code requirements for horizontal loading, eccentric or rotational loads from the varied thicknesses of the projections in each stone, and gravity loads. Basic thickness parameters were created that allowed the artist to experiment while providing a basis of design & cost for the support system.
There could be no joint lines that would look unnatural. The look of a panelized system was not an option. The team developed an overlapping joint that would achieve the artistic intent. A key element of this condition quickly became the installation sequence needed to effect that overlap of joints. It wasn't simply stack one above the other, the setting of the pieces had to follow a specific sequence of movements, creating a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. This too created an interplay with the structural system that led to an innovative anchorage system to support the stone, and transfer the loads to the building structure.
The photograph to the left shows the stone installation nearing completion on one of the facades. Note the varied horizontal structural members of the stone support system that accommodate the individual loads. The vertical structural members transfer the loads to the building structure. As the project developed, potential Masons were engaged to assess the intended installation sequence. The Quarra team coordinated their design and fabrication schedules with the project's construction manager, and integrated the work on this art installation with the overall project schedule.
Preparation:
Early in the process ATLAS developed a responsibility / scope matrix that continued to evolve with the development of the art installation. This matrix defined the obligations of the team (Owner, Artist, Construction Manager, Structural Engineer of Record, Quarra Stone Company and the Mason) and allowed the design, budget and schedule to advance concurrently, and accurately as part of the "system of play" It sounds simple, the old "who's got what, when." And in reality, I guess it is, but it doesn't work without a concerted effort to continue to ask questions like how, why and when.
Questions like, when is the design fixed? how does that design software communicate with fabrication software, and robotic machinery? As progress estimates and schedules are developed, what are they based on? What is the anticipated tool-pathing that achieves the aesthetic in the most efficient manner? With that basis, what aesthetic options are we limiting? What is the estimated fabrication time? As installation sequences are developed, are they constructable? How are the tolerances managed between the receiving substrate and the stone anchorage system?
The punchline is Prepare. Engage the team members you have assembled. Critically discuss the project from all sides, don't give in to temptation, and rely solely on your default positions. Just Think.
Reflection:
One aspect that always fascinated me throughout my career was the influence each team member can have on a project's success. What type of relationship is formed among team members? Is it built on trust? Does it keep the project's goals "front of mind," as the saying goes? Or is it something far less? While everyone acknowledges their duties to their employer, do they work to fulfill those responsibilities alongside a dedication to the project's objectives? Or is the relationship purely transactional? Congratulations to this team on showing what can be achieved when focused on collaboration and the the project goals.
William Shakespeare wrote "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players."
Shakespeare's metaphor has a few interpretations, and has inspired countless re-interpretations, and satire. In fact, Oscar Wilde is credited with saying "The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast."
In the spirit of reflection, what kind of actor are you?
Think...
Coming next time....."TBD"
For the Q1-2026 Newsletter, Please consider this a general invitation for all readers to submit any topics you would like me to take a shot at, or let me know if you are interested in contributing to the newsletter.
In the meantime, you can check out past newsletters. Here's a chronological recap of the quarterly newsletters, Think...
Q3 & Q4 -2025 Celebration, Reflection & Preparation
Q2-2025 Data Analytics and Offsite Manufacturing & Assembly in Construction
Q1-2025 Death of the Master Builder / The Art of Construction Estimating
Q4-2024 The Big Three: Quality, Budget & Schedule
Q3-2024 The Schedule
Q2-2024 The Estimate
Q1-2024 Quality
Q4-2023 Delegated Design
Current work
As we hit the midpoint 2025, here's a quick update:
ATLAS completed a long-term expert opinion assignment, significantly contributing to the highly successful outcome for the client in a significant construction lawsuit.
ATLAS is in it's fourth consecutive year of providing regular guidance and advisory services in risk mitigation, functional effectiveness and procurement for two clients.
ATLAS is pleased to have supported Quarra Stone Company's development of Maya Lin's "A Parallel Nature" at the newly opened JP Morgan Chase New Global Headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in NYC.
ATLAS' present clientele consists of Builders, Fabricators, Specialty Contractors, and Owners, all actively engaged in the Design + Construction Industry.
If you'd like to connect, whether for a particular purpose or simply to discover more about ATLAS, don't hesitate to reach out. I'm open to a phone call or meeting in person. The best initial contact method is to email me at gmulac@atlasguidance.com or visit the website www.atlasguidance.com.
Besides the newsletter, ATLAS consultants llc is also on LinkedIn. Please visit the website and sign up for the Think... the (almost) quarterly newsletter.
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