In the world of finance, Goldman Sachs are sometimes affectionately called ‘The Masters of The Universe’.

And long before the tragic events of 9/11 brought home the importance of storing vital data in multiple locations, they had formulated a plan to build themselves a large office on the other side of the Hudson River from Manhattan, in New Jersey.

The 80 story structure coming up on prime waterfront in Jersey City was expected to give them a panoramic view of the financial capital of the world.
 

The Challenge 

• At 794 ft (242m), the building was to be the tallest in New Jersey when complete.
   
• The structural steel design of the the 1.6 million ft² (1460,00m²)  building hence came with its unique challenges, not least of which was how to handle the high volume of concrete over the long distances involved in such a tall building.

Night-time glimpse of the completed Goldman Sachs Tower in Jersey City, USA

The Solution

At the end of Hudson Street in Jersey City next to the landmark Colgate clock, the new 80-story building under construction is on prime waterfront property. It overlooks the Hudson River with the Statute of Liberty in clear view. The site was selected to be an emergency backup office because financial companies such as Goldman Sachs realized the importance of storing vital data records in multiple locations even before the 9/11 tragedy. Just across the river, Jersey City proved to be a close, convenient location.

The towering office building is a structural steel design, so a single Putzmeister BSA 14000 HP-D trailer pump is handling all the concrete from the 12th floor up. The Alexander Wagner Company, the local Putzmeister dealer located in Paterson, New Jersey, recommended and then supplied the high-pressure trailer pump to Turner Construction, the general contractor.

The particular Putzmeister pump chosen is capable of up to 134 yards an hour output with a maximum 220 bar pressure. Alex Wagner, co-owner of Alexander Wagner Company, said, "With its powerful 500 horsepower engine and high pressure S-valve, the pump can easily handle the high volume and long distance needed. And that's even with the excessive amount of line the job requires."

150 Feet of Pipe across Deck

Five-inch pipe climbs up the wall - at 500-foot heights as of mid-July. Then an additional 150 feet of pipe stretches across the deck. But whereas it's typical to see four to five sections of 5-inch wire hose connected, instead there are fifteen 10-foot long hose sections. Together, they make up the 150-foot delivery line for workers to hold when placing concrete. Fortunately, because of the pump's free-flow hydraulics, the flow of concrete is smooth and controllable even though the long and heavy hose can make handling it a bit tiring.

The process is further compounded when at 500-foot heights, the concrete is being pumped at an incredibly fast rate of 103 cubic yards an hour, double the normal output for high-rise buildings. However, the crew works at a rapid pace to keep up with the trailer pump's speed and efficiency.

Consequently, each floor consumes an average of 400 yards of concrete and is virtually accomplished without shutting down the pump. Plus, a floor is completed before noon and thereby avoids overtime.

The total square footage of the entire building when completed will be 1.6 million square feet. The building's ground floor is 150,000 square feet. Extending up from the 8th to the top floor, the area's size descends from 55,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet per floor. However, no matter what size floor the crew is on, there is fast moving concrete and a long 150-foot hose to maneuver.

Alex Wagner said, "Basically each floor has a large area to cover in a short amount of time and at extreme heights. Because the Putzmeister 14000 has both the highest pressures and outputs on the market today, it's perfect for high-rise jobs like this one. We're pumping fast and hard, and the trailer pump has made the difference in getting the job done efficiently as well as quicker than anticipated."

The Alexander Wagner Company also supplied almost every size concrete boom pump imaginable to place concrete on the lower floors. It started with its Putzmeister 32-, 36- and 38X-Meter units and moved up to the longer reaching 42X-, 46X- and 55-Meter Putzmeister boom pumps as the job progressed upward.

The diesel-powered 14000 trailer pump was purchased at the 2002 World of Concrete show and went almost directly to the job site in February. Ever since its arrival, it has remained on site pumping twice a week without any problems.

Low angle view of the mammoth Goldman Sachs Tower - the Putzmeister BSA 14000 HP-D, equipped to handle the highest pressures and demanding outputs, was the perfect choice for this project.

Two mixer trucks are used

Eastern Materials' Jersey batch plant is supplying the concrete, which is a typical 276 bar hard rock and 276 bar lightweight mix. Usually, two mixer trucks are discharging simultaneously to keep up the momentum.

Having started the $1 billion plus project in September 2000, the Goldman Sachs building will be complete in the spring of 2003. At that time, over 23,000 yards of concrete will have been placed above grade to construct the tallest building in New Jersey to date.

Co-owner Frank Wagner of the Alexander Wagner Company said, "Including this high profile project, we've done over 20 jobs along the rapidly expanding New Jersey waterfront. Because we've dominated the shoreline with our equipment, you could basically say 'Putzmeister owns the block'.
 

Concrete Takeaways

• The $1 billion plus project was launched in September 2000. By the time it was completed in the spring of 2003, over 23,000 yd (21,031 m) of concrete were placed above grade.
   
• This landmark building today is also the tallest one in New Jersey.