The steel structure went up in March of 1930. (Photograph by Lewis W. Hine)

By Claudia Carlin

The 1,250-foot-tall Empire State Building was built in less than 15 months. Could such a speed be achieved with today's construction know-how? NYC24 asked Kenneth Hiller, chief engineer and senior vice president at Bovis Lend Lease, a project management and construction services company.

A number of factors today make this kind of speed and efficiency almost impossible. With the present technology, a 100-story edifice would take from 30 to 36 months to complete.

Here are some of the construction issues developers and engineers now have to grapple with:

• Communications -- With the evolution of the RFI (Request for Information) process a dozen years ago, the job of builders has become far more complex and time-consuming. This exchange of memos can reach into the thousands and each has to be signed off in writing by senior staff to forestall liability. Says Hiller: "In the old days, I would just pick up the phone, get my question answered and that was that."
  
  
• Sophistication -- The Empire State was built rock-solid. At the time, there were no computers and limited experience in building high-rises, so architects and engineers "overcompensated" with heavier steel beams and thicker walls. Today, builders know more about the physical properties of various materials: more choices, more experts mean more time spent on design.
  
  
• Regulations and inspections -- Safety concerns have increased incrementally since the end of WWII. Protecting structures that might come under attack is the new priority for both the construction industry and government agencies since the events of September 11.
  
  
• Productivity -- Construction of the Empire State started at the same time as the Depression. Laborers worked hard, long hours and they competed for jobs. For example, a workman then might have laid 800 bricks a day; these days, union regulations mandate no more than 300.

• Liability -- In this litigious age, construction of monumental buildings involves armies of lawyers and insurance professionals. Every word in a contract needs to be examined carefully so that both the participants and the public at large are protected.
  
  
• Personnel -- In the '30s, you might hire five outside consultants contribute their speciality on a skyscraper design. Today, a 100-story construction might require thirty to forty. Quips Hiller: "In some cases, you even have a consultant supervising consultants."
  

  
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