BBG Living Roof Installation from Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Vimeo.

When complete in spring 2012, the Garden’s new Visitor Center and Entrance will serve as a place of orientation, education and discovery. It will be a new milestone in the Garden’s history as its first “green” building, and a lasting exhibit for ecologically-sound design.  Designed by New York’s Weiss/Manfredi Architects, the Visitor Center registered with the USGBC with a goal of LEED Gold certification.

For more information about this exciting project, please visit http://nextcentury.bbg.org/news/

Since 2003, E.W. Howell has held an annual fundraiser entitled Benefit for a Friend.  We are committed to helping on a local level and every dollar raised benefits local families in need.  We have been very successful in previous years due to the overwhelming generosity of our participants.

This year's outing held on Monday September 19, 2011 at the Middle Bay Country Club in Oceanside, NY.  Thank you to all of the subcontractors who generously participate year after year, and to all the E.W. Howell employees who donated their time and effort make the outing a success. 

Click here to see pictures from this year's event!

Plainview’s E.W. Howell Co., LLC was honored for performing some of the construction industry’s best charitable work in 2010 for its efforts to help build the new Child Advocacy Center in Central Islip, NY.  As a result, E.W. Howell was one of only five firms nationwide to win the AGC in the Community Award from the charitable arm of the Associated General Contractors of America, AGC Charities, Inc.

The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at The Pat and Mary Bagnato Place for Kids is an establishment dedicated to the care of child victims of physical and sexual abuse.  The facility and program are managed and operated by the Hempstead NY based Education & Assistance Corporation (EAC).

E.W. Howell was responsible for building a new facility while not interrupting the operation of the existing facility.  In the end, the firm completed the new facility while only having to close the existing one for two days.  Not only did many of E.W. Howell’s employees work at no cost, but a lot of their subcontractors also donated their time and materials to complete the project.

AGC in the Community Award winners were selected by a panel of judges representing all areas of construction.  Award entries were evaluated based on the level of commitment, the scope of the philanthropic efforts and the quality of the benefits to the community.

“E.W. Howell has been in business for over 100 years, and contributing to the community through charitable work has always been a part of our business philosophy”, said Howard Rowland, President of E.W. Howell.  “We are grateful for the opportunity to help, and to give others the opportunity to do the same.”

In addition to receiving this award, E.W. Howell is being honored for building the Child Advocacy Center at EAC’s spring luncheon on Wednesday March 30th.

Long Island General Contractor E.W. Howell is pleased to announce that SUNY Stony Brook Southampton Library has received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

This project included a 25,000 SF renovation of the library at the Southampton campus of Stony Brook University.  Designed by Mitchell | Giurgola Architects, the 2-story building is a student-centered space with two large comfortable seating lounges, conference rooms, a technology enhanced lecture hall; café; group study rooms; collaborative work spaces, and staff offices.

To be considered LEED certified, the library uses environmentally sustainable building materials and innovative construction strategies that conserve energy use and reduce the library’s operational costs.  “Originally the building was going for LEED silver certification, but the project team was able to exceed the goals and achieve LEED gold instead”, said E.W. Howell project manager Travis Salvo who worked on this project.

From waste-water collection to skylights and energy efficient lighting systems, the building is designed to use fewer resources than a conventional building.  In its construction, the building uses materials selected for durability, sustainability and limited environmental impact, while the furnishings meet FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and Greenguard certification.  Overall, the building represents the Southampton campus’ commitment to sustainability. 

To see the rest of our LEED projects click here.

The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at The Pat and Mary Bagnato Place for Kids is an establishment dedicated to the care of child victims of physical and sexual abuse. The facility and program are managed and operated by the Hempstead NY based Education & Assistance Corporation (EAC).

When the CEO of EAC, Lance Elder, was looking for help in building a new Child Advocacy Center, he turned to local union leaders for advice.  Based on a longstanding reputation for excellence and experience in the industry, the unions recommended that EAC reach out to E.W. Howell for construction of their new facility. With well over a hundred years of building on Long Island, and a long history of charitable participation, E.W. Howell seemed like the right fit for the task at hand.

The new CAC, designed by Fusion Architecture, of Plainview NY, encompasses everything that could be needed, and everything that was lacking in the original CAC. The original building, a converted two-story dwelling, was barely serviceable, and far from ideal. It had small rooms, and had already been outgrown by the resident program many years prior. The new center however, is both user and visitor friendly. It’s a commercially designated structure with residential curb appeal, something the designers felt was important in creating a comforting atmosphere for the children who would eventually be walking through its doors.

The new CAC embraces many of the tenets of today’s green building movement including Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) foundation walls, Sprayed Icynene Foam insulation in the walls and ceilings, point-of-use domestic water heaters in the bathrooms, high-efficiency heating and cooling, and a 10KW solar PV system.  Vendors donated materials, supplies, and equipment. Most subcontractors worked for little or no profit, some made partial donations, and yet others donated their labor and materials outright. Local Union affiliates provided varying degrees of assistance to the project.

The medical exam room contains state-of-the-art photo-documentation equipment, privacy glazing on the windows, and is equipped with everything needed for complete physical exam. Results from testing, testimonies, and even video from the observation room at the CAC, are fully admissible as evidence in court through special agreement with the county, all intended to lessen further trauma to the victim.

The new center recently held its grand opening ceremony on October 21, 2010.  At this event, representatives of the EAC were visibly thrilled with the finished product and the work E.W. Howell and Fusion Architecture had completed.

To see our other charitable contributions, click here.

Long Island general contractor E.W. Howell is pleased to announce the completion of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook University.  This project recently received the Green Project of the Year from NY Construction magazine’s Best of 2010 award competition.  An independent jury of industry experts judged nearly 180 nominated projects and deemed 31 of them as award winners. The jury awarded projects based on entry criteria including project management and client service, safety, design and functionality.  You can view the full list of winners here.

Designed by Flad Architects the AERTC project included new construction of a two-story 43,000 SF lab building devoted to research on alternative fuels and energy conservation.  The state-of-the-art building will be the most energy efficient building in the state, and only one of 26 in the nation to get the top platinum rating from the USGBC.

“While many buildings nowadays are being built to receive LEED certifications, very few are built for LEED platinum”, says E.W. Howell’s project executive Bob Timperio.

Building Features / LEED Elements

Achieving a platinum rating means the building has achieved maximum energy efficiency in five distinct categories: sustainable site, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, material & resources and indoor environmental quality.  To accomplish this, landscaping that requires no irrigation was used, as well as a system for collecting rain water on the roof which will be used for flushing toilets.  During construction, over 20% of recycled building materials were used, and at least 75% of construction waste was diverted to recycling sites.  Perhaps one of the most interesting features of the center are the solar panels on the façade of the building that help to harvest the energy from the sun to use for the buildings daily functions.  These solar shading systems offer designers the opportunity for distinctive architectural impact, while reducing solar heat gains.  All of these features are projected to have energy cost savings of 25%.

AERTC Benefits

Occupants of the new AERTC will develop clean and economical energy strategies through research, technical applications, and professional and public outreach.  They will research and promote every area of alternative energy, including solar, wind, hydrogen fuel cells, geothermal, biomass and nano-technology.  As a result, the $35 million energy center will work to make alternative energy available to everyone and establish Long Island as a leader in the growing alternative energy sector.

Since 2003, E.W. Howell has held an annual fundraiser entitled Benefit for a Friend.  We are committed to helping on a local level and every dollar raised benefits local families in need.  We have been very successful in previous years due to the overwhelming generosity of our participants.

This year's outing held on Monday September 20, 2010 at the Middle Bay Country Club in Oceanside, NY.  Thank you to all of the subcontractors who generously participate year after year, and to all the E.W. Howell employees who donated their time and effort make the outing a success. 

Click here to see pictures from this year's event!

Plainview, NY…August 17, 2010…E.W. Howell, one of the region’s leading general contracting and construction management firms is pleased to announce the award for general construction services for the Laboratory Office Buildings (LOB’s) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).  The LOB project is part of the National Synchrotron Light Source II construction, which will be the world’s most advanced storage ring light source when complete in 2015.

E.W. Howell will construct three LOB’s with various laboratories and offices.  The project will provide 124,000 square feet of lab and office space for NSLS-II. Occupancy of the first LOB is anticipated in 2012, with the balance of construction lasting through 2013. 

Each LOB will feature a mix of wet labs, dry labs, fabrication/assembly shops, and tech spaces that have easy access to the NSLS-II experimental floor. Each building will have offices to accommodate up to 124 occupants. The buildings were designed to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Funding for this new construction comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The NSLS-II project received $150 million in ARRA funding, $34 million of which is designated for the LOB’s contract.

When complete the new buildings will enable discovery-class science, including science that will drive abundant, safe, and clean energy technologies.  The unique characteristics of NSLS-II will help scientists explore the grand challenges they face in developing new materials with advanced properties. It will pave the way to discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology — advances that will ultimately enhance national security and help drive the development of abundant, safe, and clean energy technologies.

“This project is an important one for the Long Island economy and we are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with BNL”, says the President of E.W. Howell, Howard Rowland.  At the height of construction hundreds of local jobs will be created from the hiring of local vendors and subcontractors.

E.W. Howell’s Experience at BNL

The newly awarded LOB project marks E.W. Howell’s fifth project at BNL since 2005.  E.W. Howell also served as general contractor for the 65,000-square-foot Research Support Building, completed in 2006, and the 94,500-square-foot Center for Functional Nanomaterials, completed in 2007. Both buildings were awarded a LEED silver rating by the U.S. Green Building Council, which evaluates buildings for sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental qualities.  Currently, E.W. Howell is working on the Chilled Water Facility expansion and was recently awarded the 88,000 SF Interdisciplinary Science Building which will be built to attain a LEED gold certification.

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Johneas to the position of Vice President of Administration. Michael’s promotion is in recognition of his tremendous success as a Project Executive for numerous accounts over the years, as well as the firm’s need for day-to-day administrative oversight.  Michael played an integral part in facilitating, organizing and successfully relocating E.W. Howell’s Corporate Office to Plainview in April.

Michael Johneas joined E.W. Howell in September of 1992 as an Assistant Project Manager on the first Wal-Mart Store built on Long Island. From there, Michael became a Project Manager on projects for Arrow Electronics, Grumman, Sears, Hewlett Packard, Underwriters Laboratories, and Costco. During this time, Michael exhibited the qualities required in maintaining a loyal customer base with numerous clients, as well as the organizational and managerial skills to oversee multiple projects simultaneously. Michael was previously promoted to Project Executive in December of 2002. He is currently overseeing projects including the Montaukett Learning Center in Riverhead, as well as Lowe’s stores located in Kings Plaza, Rosedale and Staten Island.

E.W. Howell, one of the region’s leading general contracting and construction management firms Long Island General Contractor E.W. Howell is pleased to announce the completion of a new 40,000 SF production studio at Kaufman Astoria Studios.  Located at 37th Street in Astoria, NY, Stage K features an 18,000 SF sound stage for film and television production along with 22,000 SF of support space for dressing rooms, offices, prop rooms, and makeup rooms.

The new studio will help to meet the increasing demand for more studio space in New York City.  Janson Design Group designed the new facility that is estimated to create 400 new independent production related jobs through film or television production companies leasing space within the studio.

“Kaufman Astoria Studios is a historic landmark in New York with a long standing history in the entertainment industry.  We are thrilled and honored to be able to add this notable project to our portfolio,” stated E.W. Howell President Howard Rowland.

About Kaufman Astoria Studios

Kaufman Astoria Studios is New York's premier film and television production complex and is the home of PBS's Sesame Street, as well as numerous independent films and smaller projects. Since it’s rebirth in 1980, Kaufman Astoria Studios has established itself as one of the largest and most sophisticated film and television production centers on the east cost.