Excellence - Spring 2013

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Copyright 2013, Urban Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected

by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Urban Engineers, Inc. For permission to reprint any portion of this publication; to notify us that you have received more than one copy; or to be removed from the mailing list, please contact us at cblowry@urbanengineers.com or (215) 922-8080.

Formulating ExcellenceÂŽ is the trademark of Urban Engineers, Inc. registered in the United States. Other marks, names, and logos contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Founded in 1960, Urban Engineers is a privately-owned (ESOP), ISO 9001:2008-registered, multidisciplinary, design, construction management, construction inspection, planning, and environmental consulting firm. www.urbanengineers.com

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Spring 2013 / Issue No. 3

people

clients pg. 5

Horse Power Norfolk Southern races into the future.

pg. 19 Philadelphia’s gateway to the world.

PHL

projects

Executive Perspective

pg. 1

Soak It Up!

Kenneth R. Fulmer, PE, CCM, VP

pg. 2

Urban’s team wins national competition.

pg. 3 Recognized among region’s best.

Angelo Waters

Project Awards

pg. 11 Faces of Formulating Excellence®

Jason Cardinal

pg. 18 Promoted to Director of Airports and Land Development Divisions.

Christopher Gubeno

pg. 4

pg. 13 Redecking: ahead of schedule and under budget.

On the Whitman

Quiet Zone in Texas

pg. 17

The T selects Urban.

pg. 25 Faces of Formulating Excellence®

Matin Haghkar

Recognitions

pg. 27

Contributions Authors

Photographers

Videography

Design

Editors

Kenneth R. Fulmer Cody Lowry

Luke Cloran Tom Crane Dave D’Alba Andrew Ludewig Mark Mathis

Urban Video Productions

Luke Cloran

Luke Cloran Andrew Cushman Cody Lowry

Director Andrew Cushman

Special thanks to Rick McMulIin, PHL Cover and Table of Contents Images: Philadelphia International Airport

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EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE

KENNETH R. FULMER, PE, CCM, VP, Director of Transit and Passenger Rail The employees of Urban recently gathered to celebrate the opening of our new and expanded headquarters office space. In support of that event, we searched our archives and assembled photographs, drawings, and other interesting documents that told the story of the firm through the years. As I looked over the impressive display of work product, one document, “The Complete Project List,” caught my eye.

The book stood out among the other documents; its appearance said it was special. Someone had taken the time to meticulously hand letter the title on the cover. On the inside were two columns, one titled “Projects” and the other “Clients,” filled each page. The document was produced using a typewriter, long before spreadsheets and complex accounting programs made it easy to instantly produce a multitude of reports. As I scanned down the list of project names, I saw familiar clients, many of whom we serve today. The book was evidence that our client focus and appreciation remains long after the project meetings have been conducted, complex calculations performed, drawings produced, and ribbons cut. It was obvious that those who prepared the book were proud of the names on the list.

The book was thorough and accurate, careful not to exclude a client or project. However, there was one significant and glaring error right on the cover. The word “Complete” was a misnomer that can’t be overlooked. The book was, and always will be, an incomplete story that continues to be written. Today, the list is expanding faster than ever as we strengthen our bond with long-time clients and expand our geographic reach beyond what could have been imagined when the book was first prepared. The book represents the earliest version of our client-focused culture that now has a name, “Formulating Excellence.”

The projects highlighted in this issue of “excellence” demonstrate that the partnership between client and engineer has never been more important. These projects could not have been completed without a shared appreciation for the challenges that each party must overcome for a project to become a reality. Clients like the Delaware River Port Authority, Philadelphia International Airport, Norfolk Southern, and US Airways, which are featured in this issue, rely on the engineering community for innovative, cost-effective solutions and expedited project delivery to overcome funding uncertainty, budget constraints, and aging infrastructure.

Our firm’s founders established the client focus that was on display in that special book. Today, that focus continues to be the heart of our organization and can be found in each project and story that follows. The book and Urban Engineers’ story remain incomplete.

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SOAK IT UP!

Urban and teammates Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, and Spiezle Architectural Group won the Commercial Retrofit Design Category of the Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up! Competition.

The design submission, “Stormwater reStore,” proposes rainwater reclamation improvements to the shopping plaza at 3021 Grays Ferry Avenue in Philadelphia. The innovative design will serve as a prototype for future green stormwater infrastructure projects, illustrate the potential for public/private partnerships, and create awareness about the return on investment of such projects for property owners. The competition is part of Infill Philadelphia:

Soak It Up! - an 18-month partnership of the Philadelphia Water Department, US Environmental Protection Agency, and Community Design Collaborative to revitalize urban neighborhoods through the adoption of green stormwater management in the Philadelphia region. These methods are outlined in Green City, Clean Waters,

We hope that these types of partnerships and design strategies will continue to open eyes on the possibilities for improving water quality and building sustainable urban communities in the future.

Chris Gubeno, PE

Philadelphia’s $2 billion, 25-year plan to protect and enhance the city’s waterways by managing stormwater primarily through innovative green stormwater infrastructure.

In total, 28 teams, 101 firms, and 315 designers, engineers, and other sustainability professionals participated from the Philly region and other US cities, including New York City, Portland, and St. Louis. The process included a six-week collaborative design period and a submission in late January, whereby an expert jury from the fields of design, engineering, development, and sustainability selected the finalists.

“Our team’s input, collaboration, and hard work is evident in our submission and final presentation,” said Chris Gubeno, PE, Site/ Land Development Director.

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40 UNDER 40

ANGELO WATERS RECOGNIZED AMONG REGION’S BEST

The Philadelphia Business Journal has named Angelo Waters, PE, LEEDÂŽ AP, Environmental Practice Leader, a 40 Under 40 Award Winner.

The program spotlights 40 dynamic up and coming leaders, who are under the age of 40, for their professional accomplishments and community involvement.

Angelo will be recognized at an awards program in May and profiled in a special print supplement inserted in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Congratulations, Angelo and the other 40 under 40 recipients!

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Urban’s N Vice Presid

PROJECT AWARDS Marlton Circle Elimination Project Garners National Recognition

The Route 73/70 Marlton Circle Elimination Project has recieved National Recognition Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2013 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition - the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry.”

The project became eligible after winning the Honor Award from the ACEC/NJ regional EEA, which “recognizes and celebrates engineering achievements that demonstrate the highest degree of skill and ingenuity among firms.” ACEC will recognize this project and other national award winners at its gala awards program in Washington, D.C. In addition to the ACEC awards, this project has garnered recognition from the New Jersey Alliance for Action and the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers.

Receiving praise and being recognized by our peers is a tremendous way to celebrate the successful outcome of a challenging project.

Bill McGarrigel, PE, VP, New Jersey Office Manager

ENR HonOrs Curtis Institute of Music’s Lenfest Hall ENR has honored Curtis Institute of Music’s Lenfest Hall as “Best Overall” and “Best Education/Research” Project.

“In creating Lenfest Hall for the Curtis Institute of Music, designers and contractors learned to make beautiful music together. Like an orchestra preparing to perform a complicated composition, the endeavor required months of practice, but ultimately the team delivered a $48.5 million facility that hits high notes for design quality, engineering excellence, and construction challenge,” ENR stated.

With the opening of Lenfest Hall in September 2011, the world-renowned musical conservatory gained not only a state-of-art facility to support and extend learning, but also a designated space to accommodate student residences and dining facilities for the first time in its nearly nine-decade-long history. The addition of the nine-story, 107,000-SF building doubled the size of Curtis’ campus and relieved scheduling pressures on its existing, historic buildings.

In creating Lenfest Hall for the Curtis Institute of Music, designers and contractors learned to make beautiful music together.

ENR

Urban collaborated with design architects, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, to address the mechanical, electrical, and acoustical requirements of the LEED® Gold facility. projects / 4

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Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) proudly serves the freight transportation needs of America’s businesses and communities, large and small. With an emphasis on innovation and efficiency, the company continues to add significant horse power for the safe, cost-effective movement of goods.

Appreciative of our 15-year relationship, Urban currently has staff managing projects in MO, TN, PA, AL, and OH, in addition to numerous designers skillfully scripting upgrades that will yield big public benefits, and help keep NS racing into the future.

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Even as increased demand for our freight transportation services has led to higher fuel consumption, we are constantly working to improve our greenhouse gas intensity.

Blair Wimbush, VP, NS Real Estate and Corporate Sustainability Officer

THOROUGHBRED OF TRANSPORTATION While NS recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, the company was actually created from predecessor railroads dating back to the early 19th century. Largely an eastern US railway, NS directly owns and operates 21,300 miles of track in 22 states, serves every major container port in the eastern US, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. It operates the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern US and is a major transporter of industrial products to markets worldwide.

For the past decade, NS has been the economic engine that could, participating in the location and expansion of more than 1,000 factories, distribution facilities, and other businesses along its lines, representing an investment by NS customers of $30 billion and some 46,000 jobs.

In 2012, NS participated in the location of 64 new industries and the expansion of 30 existing industries along its rail lines. New plants and expansions announced in 2012 represented an investment of $2.1 billion by NS customers and are expected to create more than 6,100 new jobs and potentially generating more than 141,000 carloads of new rail traffic annually.

And let’s not forget safety. NS employees are continually leading the rail industry in workplace safety. This past year, NS employees achieved the best safety ratio in company history, with 0.75 reportable injuries per 200,000 employee-hours worked, in the process earning the Harriman Gold Medal Award as the nation’s safest Class 1 railroad for the 23rd consecutive year.

NOT YOUR GRANDADDY’S RAILROAD

NS could take an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality, but this railroad continues to push the envelope, distinguishing itself as an innovator, especially in the areas of sustainability and public-private partnerships.

In 2012, NS published its sustainability report, which details five-year progress on environmental stewardship and progress on the railroad’s efforts to achieve industry leadership in fuel conservation, emissions reduction, efficient energy use, recycling, use of renewable materials, and environmental partnerships. The report outlines strategies the railroad has adopted to reduce emissions, including using technologies and computerbased systems to improve network operating efficiencies and the fuel economy of its locomotive fleet, the company’s largest source of carbon emissions.

One such advancement is NS 999, an experimental electric switcher locomotive that runs on 1,080 lead-acid batteries. NS 999 represents a quantum leap in green rail technology – an alternative-powered, zero-emissions locomotive designed to improve air quality, reduce US reliance on imported oil, and save on fuel costs. Thanks to efforts like these, NS topped all railroads in the 2012 Newsweek Green Rankings and ranked eighth among the US transportation and logistics sector. Newsweek’s Green Rankings, published annually since 2009, “comprehensively assess the environmental performance of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States and around the world.”

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LOCO FOR NSFOR TOMORROW INVESTING An average train can move a ton of freight 457 miles on a single gallon of fuel and can take 280 trucks – the equivalent of 1,100 cars – off the highway.

In 2013, NS plans to spend $2 billion for capital improvements to its rail transportation network, which will enable it to handle more rail freight traffic with manageable highways, less pollution, responsible natural resource use – all supporting economic growth.

The 2,500-mile Crescent Corridor is targeted to receive many of these upgrades, creating jobs and economic development. As the most comprehensive public-private partnership for moving freight in the east, the Crescent Corridor provides the shortest intermodal double-stack route between the south and the northeast, forming a national rail network that spans 11 states from New Orleans, LA, and Memphis, TN, to northern NJ. NS believes that the use of public-private partnerships are an effective way to share the cost of funding railroad capacity projects like these that have both public and private benefits. Independent studies estimate that the corridor, when fully operational, will result in savings of 169 million gallons of fuel annually, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.9 million tons, create or preserve 73,000 jobs by 2030, and save $575 million in costs associated with traffic congestion.

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CRESCENT CORRIDOR AT A GLANCE

1 million trucks a year absorbed from interstates 2 million tons of carbon emissions reduced per year 11 markets of new or expanded terminals 13 states’ economic engine 73 thousand new jobs by 2030 170 million gallons of fuel saved annually 300 miles of new track 576 million dollars saved from reduced highway congestion

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LOCO FOR NS Urban’s railroad and facility experts provide ongoing support for NS as the railroad makes improvements to its system. Urban is the primary supplier of engineering design and construction management of its locomotive repair and fueling facilities, with numerous facilities completed since 1998.

Additionally, Urban has provided engineering consulting services for expanding rail yards and intermodal terminals, enhancing coal transfer facilities, and assisting NS in Rate Cases.

The culture of the personnel with whom we interface in the NS organization is a pleasure to work with and the team effort and opportunity to participate in their project development is very rewarding.

Jeff C. May, PE, VP, Urban’s Director of Rail

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JASON CARDINAL

BE HUMBLE & STRIVE FOR CONTINuOUS IMPROVEMENT.

RESIDENT ENGINEER

For some, it is location, location, location. For Jason Cardinal, PE, it is learning, learning, learning. Jason attributes his success in engineering and leadership to the lessons he learns from those around him and his desire for continuous improvement.

For the past seven years, he has been diligently researching and following the development of the high-profile CTfastrak program, Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (ConnDOT) first rapid transit system. This project, which broke ground in 2012, will provide a dedicated Bus Rapid Transit 9.4-mile corridor between downtown New Britain and downtown Hartford. The accumulation of project knowledge over time was instrumental in Jason’s journey to become the Resident Engineer for two of the CTfastrak program’s contracts.

As Resident Engineer, Jason strives to develop a sense of team and a culture of continuous improvement among the field office staff of engineers, administrators, and inspectors - an approach that has proven successful with other ConnDOT projects. With a diverse and talented project team assembled for CTfastrak, Jason sees this project as a tremendous opportunity for professional growth. “Urban has such rich resources - there is almost always someone with the answer I may need at a given moment.

Whether a veteran or recent grad, I try to learn from others, be humble, and strive for continuous improvement.”

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FACES formulating excellence 速 OF

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ON THE

WHITMAN

In 2011, the DRPA contracted Urban in joint venture with URS to oversee the three-year effort to replace the Walt Whitman Bridge’s original deck.

Urban’s team of Bill Donahue, Rick Kreck, Kemley LahrmerWhiteside, Jim Mastrilli, and Keith Shuster anticipate completing the project ahead of schedule and under budget.

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“While the only change motorists will notice is the smoother riding deck, there has been much done out of the sight of the traveling public,” Urban’s Resident Engineer Rick Kreck, PE, said. In addition to the jointless “floating” deck, improvements have been made to the integrity of this 55+-year-old structure that include replacing the existing bearings and strengthening the steel floor trusses. Upgrades have also been made to the electrical and communication systems, as well as the under-deck maintenance and inspection walkway.

WITH OVER 40 MILLION CROSSINGS PER YEAR, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO OUR CLIENT TO GET THE PROJECT DONE ON TIME. Jim Mastrilli, PE, Urban’s Structural Engineer (pictured right)

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4/24/2013 3:30:13 PM

Urban Helps Design Quiet Zone in Texas

Fort Worth’s Transportation Authority, The T, selected Urban to provide engineering services for the establishment of a new quiet zone in Colleyville, Texas.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, in a quiet zone, railroads have been directed to cease the routine sounding of their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings. Train horns may still be used in emergency situations or to comply with other federal regulations or railroad operating rules.

Localities desiring to establish a quiet zone are first required to mitigate the increased risk caused by the absence of a horn.

Urban, as a subconsultant to CTC, Inc., is leading the civil engineering design and civil construction services, in addition to the necessary permitting for the new quiet zone. Previously, Urban provided Program Management Oversight services to The T for the construction of a 25-mile rail corridor connecting Fort Worth to downtown Dallas.

“This project is an opportunity to demonstrate our design and construction management capabilities to The T and City of Colleyville,” Urban’s Dallas Office Manager Scott Forbes, PE, said. “It also allows us to continue our relationship with The T while developing new relationships with CTC, Inc., the City of Colleyville, and Fort Worth and Western Railroad.”

We have a new Texas Office Contact: Mark Mathis, PE Urban Engineers, Inc. dba Urban Services, Inc. 5601 Bridge Street, Suite 300 Fort Worth, Texas 76112 Phone: 817-654-5142 Fax: 817-492-7001

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Promotions

Christopher Gubeno to Direct TWO DIVISIONS Christopher Gubeno, PE, has been promoted to Director of the firm’s Airports and Land Development Divisions. In this new role, he will be responsible for overseeing airport planning and engineering services, while also managing the firm’s civil, site, and land development services.

construction for a broad range of public and private clients. He has demonstrated his expertise in airport planning and engineering with successful projects at Philadelphia International, Dulles International, Aberdeen Proving Ground, and Ronald Reagan Washingon National.

A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, Gubeno has more than 20 years of diverse professional experience in engineering design and

He currently serves as Urban’s Project Manager of the design for Bradley International Airport’s Terminal B, The Franklin Institute’s new LEED®

Silver Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion, and the 153,000-SF Liberty Property Tower, located at 800 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.

Gubeno earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in systems science and engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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PHL

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Urban’s work at the airport began in 1969 and the ďŹ rm has been there ever since.

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P

hiladelphia welcomed Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis on October 22, 1927 to dedicate the Municipal Aviation Landing Field. From that day, a world-class airport has been in the making. The first terminal was located near Hog Island, where, for the purpose of the Hog Island Shipyard, the United States Army Corp of Engineers once toiled to transform the island to mainland by using the silt dredged from the Delaware River.

In 1930, the City of Philadelphia (City) purchased the 1,000acre Hog Island from the Federal Government for $3 million to provide for future airport expansion.

In the parlance of contemporary airport planners, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a postage stamp-sized facility, situated on just 2,302 acres. Yet, it consists of seven terminals and four runways. Airport expansion is limited on the south by the Delaware River, the east by the Schuylkill River, and the west by Tinicum Township, as well as the proximity to Conrail tracks and I-95. The total number of passengers using PHL has grown at an average of 4.1% a year, from 6.6 million in 1971 to 30.7 million in 2009. This has created challenges for the airport as it strives to accommodate growth.

To th th fre 20 wo in an

Since 1969, Urban has continuously served PHL with projects on all terminals (A East, A West, B, C, D, E, and F), various utilities, parking lots, roadways, runways, fuel tanks, deicing facilities, moving sidewalks, a fire training facility, and the Airport High Speed Line, which connects PHL to the tri-state region.

“Urban understands the engineering complexities and intricacies of PHL probably better than any other consulting firm,” Urban Vice President Jack Martins, PE, said. Martins began his career with the City’s Division of Aviation, and served as Resident Engineer and Design Engineer Supervisor to PHL. He assisted in developing the General Engineering Contract for the Airport in the 1970s, an assignment that Urban held continuously for four decades.

“If you want to have a good sense of what Urban does, look at PHL.” Martins said. “We have more than 50 employees with PHL experience. Landside, airside, terminals, and public transportation - the Airport is where all of our disciplines converge.”

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H

andling approximately 500,000 takeoffs and landings each year, PHL is one of the world’s most-frequented and fastestgrowing airports. In 2010, it was the 11th busiest airport in the world and 9th busiest in the United States in aircraft operations. Philadelphia’s gateway to the world, PHL generates billions of dollars for the City, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Delaware Valley Region’s economy.

The announced merger of US Airways and American Airlines has the potential to produce a more dynamic airline, a stronger Philadelphia International Airport.

Many exciting improvements continue as PHL strives to meet future air service demands. Federal Aviation Administration forecasts indicate that PHL will accommodate 760,000 takeoffs and landings in 2030 and move 52.2 million Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter passengers. In 2010, the FAA approved a $5.2 billion expansion aimed at reducing chronic delays and accommodating 50 years worth of growth in traffic.

This expansion program will lengthen two existing runways, build a new fifth runway, develop new

terminals, increase the number of gates to existing terminals, add parking, develop an automated people mover between terminals, and construct a new hub for rental cars. It is projected that the program will create 2,880 Airport jobs once complete and will employ 3,700 construction jobs a year during construction.

As the Airport’s primary carrier, US Airways has long been a vital component of Philadelphia’s success in the global marketplace and has significantly contributed to the region’s economic vitality.

The recent merger between US Airways and American Airlines creates an opportunity for non-stop flights from PHL to Asia and other international destinations, as well as better connections for other routes around the world. “The announced merger of US Airways and American Airlines has the potential to produce a more dynamic airline, a stronger Philadelphia International Airport,” Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter said.

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INNOVATION everaging Urban’s depth of knowledge and perspective of PHL are critical to the firm’s continued presence at the Airport said Urban’s Director of Airports, Chris Gubeno, PE. Since joining the firm in 1990, Gubeno has worked on some of the most challenging projects designed and constructed at PHL. “While Urban’s technical understanding of the Airport is a strength, we cannot rest on our laurels,” he said. “We continue to grow in the areas of client-understanding, collaborative relationships, and innovation.” Recent achievements, such as the US Airways Ground Support Equipment (GSE) facility and Terminal F Hub Expansion, demonstrate that Urban continues to raise the bar in these areas.

L

The nationally recognized US Airways, 58,000-SF, LEED Silver Ground Service Equipment facility at PHL began as a concept to improve economic efficiency, and ultimately set the precedent for US Airways, the GSE industry, and PHL in terms of sustainability and innovation.

With incredible operational efficiency, the building can handle repairs and maintenance of 770 pieces of motorized equipment and 1,200 pieces of non-motorized equipment that service US Airways’ approximately 800 daily departures and arrivals. The multi-million dollar Terminal F Expansion Project will help alleviate PHL’s most congested terminal, which is used by almost a quarter of the Airport’s 32 million passengers a year. Both projects are enhancing PHL’s national image, and are the result of strong relationships built among US Airways, PHL, Urban, and teaming partners.

Urban continues to hold an on-call contract with the Division of Aviation and is getting both planning and engineering tasks through that contract. “The influx of new faces and new firms into the Airport makes us take a deep look at how we can enhance our strengths and improve our weaknesses,” Gubeno said. “We have become better as a result.” Gubeno believes that the spreading of work out among a larger number of firms has another upside. “By retaining PHL’s on-call planning contract, this places Urban in more of a visionary role.”

With the focus more on maximizing space and minimizing cost, there will be interesting challenges ahead. “This is an exciting time for working at PHL,” Gubeno concluded.

Bob McCracken, Design Project Manager of US Airways GSE The GSE Project resulted from solid relationships built between Urban and US Airways. Urban’s Project Manager during the design, Bob McCracken, provided initial consultation to US Airways management, who were developing a concept for a new, costeffective vehicle maintenance and repair facility. McCracken, who has worked at Urban for more than 50 years and spent most of that time working at PHL, has an incredible amount of institutional knowledge gained from working on hundreds of assignments ranging from as little as $200 to the multi-million dollar level. His responsiveness and expert guidance led to US Airways hiring Urban to design and manage the project. Ultimately, US Airways, PHL, and the project team plan to use the project as a blueprint for future efforts.

Bob’s expertise, insight, and fortitude were the right mix for this project.

Rhett Workman, US Airways’ Managing Director of Airport Affairs “US Airways was thrilled to have Urban Engineers’ Bob McCracken heading up the project management team for our new $22 million GSE facility,” said Rhett Workman, US Airways’ Managing Director of Airport Affairs. “Bob brought years of great experience and a high degree of professionalism to a challenging project. His expertise, insight, and fortitude were the right mix for this project and helped us achieve great success in implementing the first of its kind facility for Philadelphia International Airport. This 58,000-SF LEED Silver certified facility will serve US Airways admirably for years to come.”

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PHL’s Terminal F Concourse

FACES formulating excellence ® OF

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MATIN HAGHKAR

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN ALL SITUATIONS WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO FINDING THE BEST SOLUTIONS.

CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGNER

PHL’s Terminal F Expansion project has been nothing short of transformative for Urban’s Matin Haghkar, PE. For the past five years, Matin has been an integral part of the Terminal F Expansion team - from a Drexel University Co-op program intern during the proposal phase, to designer, and now Urban’s project manager as the terminal undergoes construction. Matin is proud of this symbiotic relationship and realizes the unique opportunity he has had. “Urban’s managment has afforded me opportunities to step up and play a vital role in a massive, multi-million dollar project - an experience extremely unique among other firms.”

Home to US Airways, Terminal F is PHL’s most congested terminal, used by almost a quarter of the airport’s 32 million passengers a year. Working with The Sheward Partnership, Matin and Urban’s team of airport experts are attempting to alleviate this congestion and provide an all around better experience for travelers. The project consists of expansion of Terminal F’s hub and adjacent concourses, reform of the ticketing area, and addition of a new bag claim buidling, projected to achieve LEED® Silver certification.

Matin is especially looking forward to this new hub, which he plans to utilize for travel. “With new shops, expanded space, more efficient baggage handling, and green features, I can’t wait to use the new space.”

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RECOGNItionSTION

Urban’s HR Team

URBAN NAMED Top Place To Work Urban Engineers has once again been billed as a “Top Place to Work” in Workplace Dynamics’ annual survey of firms in the Philadelphia area. Urban ranked 21st among mid-size companies and first among local engineering firms in Philadelphia.

“This year’s ranking is particularly important because after a challenging year in 2011, we listened to employee feedback and have improved each and every day in areas we needed to focus,” said Kimberly Bentz, Director of Human Resources. “This is the real benefit of participating in this employee survey.”

Pictured Above (L to R): Meredith Clark, PHR, Human Resources Manager Kimberly Bentz, MSHRM, Director of Human Resources Kristin Rusinko, Human Resources Generalist

We’re Bike Friendly!

So says the League of American Bicyclists, who named Urban a Bicycle Friendly Business at the Bronze Level. Achieving this recognition required that Urban demonstrate a significant investment in encouraging bicycles as a form of transportation.

“In applying to be a Bicycle Friendly Business, it was exciting to see how many items we were able to check off the list. Through this process, the League of American Bicyclists has given powerful insight as to how Urban can improve in the categories of education, city-wide support, and overall awareness.”

Urban Bike Commuters

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formulating

clients + people + projects

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