J. Benjamin Alper – Engineer at Severud Associates

J. Benjamin Alper has been a key member of the engineering staff of Severud Associates since his start in 2005. Throughout his career, Ben has taken on increasingly challenging projects and expanded his knowledge of structural systems, including the use of specialized materials such as fiber-reinforced polymers. Ben currently serves as a voting member of the ASCE/SEI 7 Minimum Design Loads main committee and its seismic loads subcommittee. He is also active with NCSEA, NYC Buildings, and SEAoNY. Ben’s portfolio of significant projects includes TSX Broadway in Manhattan, Terminal 6 at JFK International Airport in Queens, Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, and the LA Forum renovation in Inglewood, California.

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Mohamed Arafa – Engineer at Severud Associates

Mohamed Arafa began his career in Egypt, as an engineer and assistant lecturer at Cairo University. After coming to the United States and completing his doctorate, Mohamed joined Severud Associates in 2007. Mohamed’s extensive structural expertise and experience allow him to model, analyze, design, and effectively manage complex projects such as the South Shore University Hospital Expansion in Bay Shore, New York, currently under construction. His other innovative projects include 270 Park Avenue and One Vanderbilt Avenue, two of the tallest office buildings in New York City; NYU’s John A. Paulson Center, 390 Madison Avenue, and The Bryant, all in Manhattan; and the SAP America HQ expansion in Newton Square, Pennsylvania.

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Severud Promotions – February 2025

The experienced and expert engineering staff at Severud Associates is our most important asset. Therefore, we are proud to announce that Andrew Moss and Grace Yau have been elevated to Senior Associate and Alfredo Peña has progressed to Senior Engineer. All of them have demonstrated a deep commitment to their profession and the firm.

 

Andrew Moss joined Severud Associates in 2012. His recent projects include the redevelopment of the 245 Park Avenue and One Madison Avenue office buildings and the 278 Eighth Avenue residential building, all in New York City. Andrew has extensive field experience, including on-site construction review of NYC’s One Vanderbilt Avenue, which he also helped design, and Local Law 126 parking garage inspections; he is also team leader for PANYNJ inspections at Newark Liberty International Airport. Andrew’s many other challenging projects include an addition to the P.S. 170 Ralph A. Fabrizio School in Brooklyn and redevelopment of Terminals C and D at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

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CAST CONNEX Evolution of Structures Webinar – November 20 for Session 3

Mark your calendars for November 20 – Session 3 of the CAST CONNEX Evolution of Structures Webinar.

Michael Zaborski from MdeAS Architects and Matthew Peitz, PE, SE from Severud Associates will discuss the recently completed Penn 2 Renovation in New York City. An instant icon, the new face of Penn 2 revitalizes a central hub in New York City with an elegant architectural response to a complex existing site.

Click here for a great behind the scenes look of construction at Penn2!

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CAST CONNEX Evolution of Structures Webinar – November 13 for Session 2

Coming up on November 13 – Session 2 of the CAST CONNEX Evolution of Structures Webinar.

Don’t miss this chance to hear about how steel castings solve complex structural challenges in the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas. The venue’s exosphere is the world’s largest spherical structure, rising 366-feet from its base and measuring approximately 520-feet at its equator, incorporating 368 custom cast-steel nodes ranging in weight from 1.6 to 7.2-tons each.

Click here for a great behind the scenes look at construction on Sphere!

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2024 Canstruction Event a Big Success!

Our 2024 Canstruction Event on October 30, 2024 was a great success!  Numerous engineers from Severud helped make the evening fun AND successful!

Sindi Krasta, Benny Wu, EIT, Karina Fiola Anggara, Carlos Abreu, Elizabeth G. DePaola, Yona Rubin, David Madrigal, EIT, Eric Samaniego, Meghan Krupka, L.M.T., P.E., and Gerry Lourentzatos completed another excellent Canstruction New York, Inc. (Canstruction Global HQ) canned food sculpture. The proceeds and canned food goods from the event will be donated to City Harvest.

This year’s theme was inspired by the movie Ratatouille, as the movie’s main character, Remy, was brought to life in canned food. 

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Engineering an All-Electric Supertall at 270 Park Avenue

by Fortunato Orlando, PE

Rising 1,388 feet, the 270 Park Avenue project marks a significant step in sustainable architecture as New York City’s tallest all-electric skyscraper. Constructing this skyscraper atop the bustling transit infrastructure of Grand Central Terminal presented a most unique engineering challenge. Severud Associates embraced this challenge, devising innovative solutions to realize JPMorgan Chase’s vision for their new corporate headquarters.

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CFG Bank Arena Redevelopment: Sustainability in Sports and Entertainment

by Stephen Reichwein

Adapting to the unique demands of an aging structure and a busy urban location, Severud Associates approached the CFG Bank Arena redevelopment with a focus on modernizing the facility while respecting its historic roots. This $250 million project required thoughtful structural solutions to improve the arena’s functionality, ensuring it meets today’s standards for accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement.

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TSX Broadway: Structural Engineers Transform Times Square

by Benjamin Alper, PE

Projects like TSX Broadway and Palace Theater highlight Severud’s thoughtful and unique approach to redevelopment. This $2.5 billion project redefined what’s possible by combining time-tested construction with modern engineering. The result is a dynamic entertainment, retail, and hotel complex that celebrates the theater’s old-world charms and embraces the 21st century ethos of Times Square.

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Sustainable Concrete: Building a Greener Future

By Fortunato Orlando, PE

NYC Climate Week, September 22 – 26, 2024 was filled with many events, seminars, presentations, and documentaries and brought together leaders from business, government, academia, and civil society to discuss and implement climate action. The goal is to reach carbon neutrality with a 50% reduction by 2030 and 100% neutrality by 2050.

I have been asked by many; “What can a structural engineer bring to the table to lower the carbon footprint?” Ah! The one-trillion-dollar question! Concrete has been a worldwide commodity since the ancient Roman Empire and a product of convenience that cannot be eliminated. Concrete in its plastic state can be shaped and formed in almost infinite ways and when hardened will provide shelter and use for everyday life.

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