Four years after the team began construction of the 12,000-square-foot Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine of St. Nicholas in lower Manhattan to replace its beloved predecessor destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it was not clear if the works would finish. Construction on the high-profile structure, designed by Santiago Calatrava Architects & Engineers and built as part of the World Trade Center reconstruction, began in 2013, but significant design changes inflated the original $20 million budget. dollars and the church’s financial difficulties combined to derail the project. . In 2017, having outgrown the steel frame structure, Skanska USA Building stopped work after payment defaults and the project fell into limbo: the frame was wrapped in white plastic. A committed effort by state officials, project team members, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the newly formed Friends of St. Nicholas found a way to resume work and reach completion by the end of 2022.
Restarting construction after a multi-year hiatus was a major challenge, says Skanska vice president and account manager Theodora Diamantis, who was involved in discussions to resume work. But the result was an expertly crafted $85 million gem, with a structural steel dome topped by an exterior of finely milled, translucent Pentelic marble. The 60-foot dome’s signature rain screen, with 40 skylights and strategic lighting, illuminates the church’s interiors by day and transforms the structure into a glowing landmark at night.
Diamantis, responsible for the project’s budget and schedule, was part of the Skanska team that restarted negotiations, developed contract terms and conditions, and established schedule expectations that allowed the project to restart and ensure the completion “[We focused] about building a positive relationship with the new ownership group,” he says. “Establishing trust was crucial to ensuring the new owners had confidence in Skanska’s ability to successfully complete this high-profile project.”
Theodora Diamantis
Photo courtesy of Skanska
The resumption of construction in July 2020 was hampered by COVID-19 restrictions, followed by supply chain issues. This increased pressure on targets to meet major milestones, such as the church holding a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks. That led to Skanska’s decision to schedule 20-hour workdays, six days a week, from June to September 2021, Diamantis says. Creative use of temporary materials and careful logistical management in a small footprint in the high security site work area were also critical to achieving the goal. “The project faced extraordinary circumstances,” he says. “The recognition that this was not normal, as many activities were firsts for both Skanska and subcontractors, emphasized the need to innovate and solve problems.”
Managing the supply chain crisis was another major task as the team applied great coordination and logistics management to craft and import pre-fabricated parts, iconography and materials from nine countries and three continents on a tight schedule , including 10,000 square feet of white Athens marble. Careful cost estimating and reviews, strategic schedule management and careful selection of specialty subcontractors and material suppliers also contributed to the project’s success, says Diamantis.
Diamantis’ team performed a “Herculean task” to turn Calatrava’s “stunning design … into reality,” says Andrew Veniopoulos, executive director of the National Shrine of St. Nicholas.
