LMCT Project News

John Brunetti Award Presented

Architectural Design Student Receives Award

By Bill Hohlfeld
Coordinator, Local 46 LMCT

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

On Tuesday, October 4th, 2011, the first annual John Brunetti Award for Excellence in Lath and Plaster Design was presented by Mr. John Brunetti, President of the Cement League and Mr. Robert Ledwith, Business Manager of Local 46 Metallic Lathers to Ms. Farnaz Hamedachian from Berkeley College. This award was instituted in order to rejuvenate interest in lath and plaster construction among the architectural community, and is based on 3 criteria:

1) Uniqueness. The ability to attain shapes that are quite literally “outside the box,” and depart from traditional angularity in interior design,is one of the most striking advantages of Lath and Plaster design. Submissions should maximize that advantage. 2) Practicality. There has been an extensive array of practical uses for Lath and Plaster throughout the history of interior design. The ability to capture that sense of practical application within a whimsical framework will be highly regarded. 3) Aesthetics. There are a good many possibilities available to the designer through the artful combination of shape, color and lighting. So, in addition to appearing out of the ordinary, while at the same time serving a useful function, submissions must also be pleasing to the eye.

Ms. Hamedachian submitted her proposal for a hypothetical “Bergen County Museum of Water & Cultural Center.” This extensive research project far exceeded the requirements of the competition with its free flowing form and creative use of both natural and artificial light. Having specified lath and plaster, she was not, in her own words, “...afraid to use curves. They are so much better than straight lines.”

These are not empty words as our award winner has, at this point, a considerable background in architectural design. She has an AAS degree in Draft & Design from BCC, NJ. Originally, she studied architecture overseas followed by a couple of years of working in architectural/interior companies, acquiring professional skills in rendering and 3D drafting for a variety of projects. Her skills include drawings for design development documents such as airports, public buildings, commercial and residential buildings.

The $2,000.00 cash award will go to good use as she currently is pursuing her Master Degree in Interior Lighting Design at NYSID. We expect Ms. Hamedanchian to be a member of the design community for years to come, and have no doubt that we will be seeing more of her artistic talent showcased in the future, and that it will contain elements of lath and plaster construction.

Local 46 - Part of History in the Making

Restoring the Barrel Arch

By Bill Hohlfeld
Coordinator, Local 46 LMCT

Monday, March 07, 2011

For over a century now, the New York Historical Society has been a leading proponent of keeping the history of New York City and State alive to its modern day citizens. It specializes in educating the public about all things New York from the first Native American tribes and the American Revolution through the Roosevelt clan and Tiffany lamps, right into more recent history revolving around the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. So, it couldn’t be more fitting that Local 46 become a vital part of allowing the modernizing of the site of the Historical Society while allowing it to retain its old world patina. After all, what could be more New York than a Lather?

The site, located on Central Park West and spanning from 76th to 77th, Street houses New York’s oldest museum founded in 1804 and one of the oldest independent research libraries in the nation. The building which currently houses the museum was built a century later in 1903, a fact that is quickly betrayed by the cavernous design and terra cotta arches. And the current board of directors saw a need for a centennial update that would renovate the building and bring it up to modern standards in terms of lighting, HVAC and fire suppression. Obviously, to change the wall lighting to overhead lighting, add air conditioning and provide an up-to-date sprinkler system, not to mention add an entire mezzanine level to its auditorium, a few things needed to happen. First, there was a fund raiser to finance the project. with city coffers as low as they are are, private financing would be needed to accomplish the work. Second, a general contractor with expertise in restoration would be needed to spearhead the project, so Cauldwell Wingate was called in. Finally, a sub-contractor knowledgeable about all facets of lath and plaster construction would be needed to insure that the integrity of the original artful design was in no way compromised during the construction. Enter Island Diversified, and its team of expert Lathers.

The Local 46 team, led by Foreman Pat Seib,and consisting of Jerry Griffin, Tommy Fowler, and Steve Rich, have been called upon to meet some formidable challenges. In addition to having installed (at the time of this writing) over 100 bundles of diamond mesh metal lath, it was necessary to recycle every piece of angle iron used in the original construction. Each length of iron was painstakingly disassembled, numbered, and recycled, making this project perhaps one of the “greenest” projects taking place on the Upper West Side.

The second floor of the building where a variety of paintings, statues and other exhibits are displayed is comprised of a series of fifteen vaulted groin ceilings supported by 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” iron. The lower level which is set aside for children’s exhibits and an “activity room” sits below a tremendous barrel arch ceiling, supported by 3’ x 3” iron, that spans an area thirty feet wide by well over one hundred feet long.

In an impromtu interview with Cauldwell Wingate General Superintendant, Michael Grebinsky, after he giving a brief history of the society and the mission of the project, he went on to say: “ I’d been around lathers before, but usually on simple, straightforward jobs. This is the first time I’ve ever had to depend upon their knowledge and expertise. They’ve done a really good job.”At the end of the day, there isn’t any craftsman, either here in new York, or anywhere else, who can ask to be paid a higher compliment than that.