Annual Report 2012

New York Building Foundation

The New York Building Foundation was formed in 1998 to complement the work of the Building Congress through a program of targeted philanthropy, research, and educational activities. The Foundation looks for opportunities to promote the building community's contributions to the region, expand the industry's reach, and help prepare the next generation of leaders.

Philanthropy
The Building Foundation recently provided financial support for "The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011," an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. It celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which was the foundational document establishing Manhattan's street grid.

Past philanthropic efforts by the Foundation include the establishment of a World Trade Center Memorial Fund, which raised $400,000 in response to the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. The Building Foundation, together with the Building Congress, made contributions totaling $100,000 to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation/National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The Building Foundation also is continuing its support for Out2Play, an organization that uses public/private partnerships to provide safe, welcoming play spaces for the City's public elementary schoolchildren. Specifically, the Foundation has supported new playgrounds serving communities in Queens and the Bronx.

Education
The Building Foundation supports the development of tomorrow's industry leaders through a range of educational initiatives and collaborations. Recent grants have been awarded to programs at Manhattan College, Pratt Institute, NYU Poly, and NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. The Foundation's Hennessy Fund provides funding for professional fellowships and student internships within the design, construction, and real estate industry. The Building Foundation also sponsors several annual scholarships through the ACE Mentor Program and other organizations.

Research & Analysis
The Foundation makes important contributions to public and economic policy through rigorous research of timely and relevant issues. The Foundation continues its collaboration with the New York Building Congress on the New York City Construction Outlook series. The highly regarded annual forecast, together with monthly updates, serves as a barometer for the City's economic strength. The Foundation also produced a new report, Public Infrastructure Dividends, which analyzes the impact of capital investment versus operating expenditures. For more on these and other research reports, see page 15.

Construction for a Livable City
Following up on its 2010 report, the New York Building Foundation recently initiated the Construction for a Livable City (CLC) program designed to improve construction worksite quality and help the industry become a better neighbor. The voluntary program encourages owners and construction managers to maintain clean, efficient worksites that are responsive to area residents and businesses. To aid in this effort, the Foundation created a CLC checklist of 26 common sense items that, when followed, will improve each site's operations, reduce environmental impact and enhance overall community relations. At this early stage, CLC sites currently include the new Columbia Manhattanville campus, Boston Properties' new office tower at West 55th Street, and MTA's 2nd Avenue Subway 63rd Street station project.