Dr Jan Cermak took from Sitotaw Fantaye a rock from underground Manhattan as they explained their work as associate partners at Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers (MRCE). For New York real estate players, MRCE needs no introduction. The geotechnical and structural foundation design engineering experts know the earth underneath New York City perhaps better than anyone. For this, they have been approached by developers and contractors worldwide to evaluate the feasibility of constructing skyscraper foundations, waterfronts, subways and other complex projects close to tunnels and delicate historic sites. Cermak, a geotechnical engineer, says MRCE still follows the mantra of its founding father, Daniel Moran, who has registered more than 30 foundation design patents. "Moran once said, 'Foundation engineering is an art where there's no substitute for judgment based on experience'," Cermak says. "Today, we rely on experience from previous projects and transfer that knowledge from one generation to the next." Having preserved its original line of business since its inception in 1910, MRCE has geologic records from more than 12,000 projects that it has undertaken. Its database is so enormous that when government records were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey used MRCE's conference room as an emergency response command centre. The company has designed the foundations of the tallest skyscrapers and other essential facilities in difficult urban environments of large cities such as New York City, Boston, Moscow, Mexico City, Berlin, Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei and London. In these projects, MRCE has constructed underneath high-density areas without disrupting activities above ground. The company is excited to work with partners on more projects in Asia-Pacific, especially in China. "We focus on providing the most economic design," says Fantaye, a structural and foundation engineer. "We pay close attention to work schedules, efficient construction methodologies and getting the foundation design correct the first time. All these translate into real savings for clients." Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers: http://www.mrce.com
