Barry Gurvitch's Schools

• Pratt Institute , Class of 1982 Bachelors in Architecture

• New York University , Class of 1977 Bachelors in Economics

Barry Gurvitch's Publications

• Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, Barry Gurvitch December, 2010 by Barry Gurvitch When New York City’s hungry need a hand, Tomchei Shabbos of Queens is there to help. Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, or TSQ Inc., is an all-volunteer group that has served the families and individuals of Queens, New York, for more than 30 years by providing weekly food packages. Today, TSQ Inc. operates in both Queens and underserved areas of Long Island, delivering some 400 boxes of food each week. TSQ Inc.’s volunteers come from all occupations young and old. Each volunteer possesses a passion for helping his or her fellow community members, though, and for assisting their neighbors through hardships and suffering. TSQ Inc.’s clients vary widely: They are homebound elderly, single mothers, unemployed, sick, and others dealing with extreme difficulties in their lives. They come to TSQ Inc. through clergy or social worker referrals, or from the suggestions of school principals or teachers. However, each client has a need. TSQ Inc. shares food with these people through the generosity of its volunteers and donors. A grant from The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany helps TSQ Inc. serve those Nazi victims living in the region. More than 95 percent of TSQ Inc.’s funding comes from individuals and businesses, and at least 90 cents of every donated dollar TSQ Inc. is spent on food delivery. The theme of TSQ Inc. is, “By helping others, your own needs are fulfilled.” Just $3 donated to TSQ Inc. per day feeds a family of three. Log onto www.twqinc.org to learn more about Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, or TSQ Inc.

• Barry Gurvitch on New York University, Barry Gurvitch January, 2011 by Barry Gurvitch In 1830, a group of more than 100 professionals congregated in New York’s city hall to discuss the establishment of a new university that admitted students based on merit rather than status or class. Rebelling against the previously founded, Episcopalian-slanted Columbia College, New York University (NYU) carried no religious affiliations. The institution received its charter in 1831 and began holding classes at its Washington Square campus soon thereafter. Toward the turn of the century, NYU became pressed for room and purchased new land in the Bronx, establishing the University Heights campus, which served as the primary NYU campus until the 1970s. In 1973, NYU sold the University Heights property to the City University of New York and subsequently began a project to expand and update its original Washington Square campus. Global University Ranking lists NYU 22nd among all universities in the world, and other institutions continually rank it high among top American schools. NYU’s individual schools and departments regularly receive significant attention in their respective fields. Recently, Kaplan deemed NYU one of the nation’s “new ivies.” The NYU community incorporates 33 Nobel Prize laureates and 3 Abel Prize winners, as well as 9 National Medal of Science recipients, 19 Academy Award winners, and 16 Pulitzer Prize winners. Today, NYU leads the charge for sustainability among New York-based educational institutions, relying on renewable wind power as much as possible. Two years ago, NYU awarded a number of grants for students researching sustainable practices involving energy, food, transportation, and waste. Among these projects was a bike-sharing program that made 30 bikes readily available to students, staff, and faculty members free of charge. I studied economics at NYU before refocusing my efforts on architecture at the City College of New York and Pratt Institute.

• About Precast Concrete, Barry Gurvitch February, 2011 New York City resident Barry Gurvitch serves as a licensed Architect and Senior Executive at Artimus, a property development firm headquartered in Manhattan. Earning his degree in architecture from the Pratt Institute, Barry Gurvitch launched his career in design by founding his own company and later joining Artimus as a project manager. In his current role, Barry Gurvitch oversees a variety of operations at Artimus, including directing field teams, contributing to the design process, and completing final assessments of structures. Barry Gurvitch maintains proficiency in the majority of Artimus’s services, including site management; quality control; and construction of poured-in-place, posttension, and precast concrete buildings. A growing trend in the construction industry, precast concrete offers a number of uses ranging from retaining walls to structural components and utility buildings. Formed by creating a reusable mold in which to cast concrete, precast products cure under controlled conditions before being brought on-site and set into place. Compared with traditional methods of pouring and setting concrete walls, floors, and foundations at the job location, precast concrete offers a number of advantages, including greater control over the entire manufacturing process, leading to a more refined byproduct. Safer and easier to create as well, precast components cut back on formwork costs and building times because of the reusability of premade molds and the ease in casting pieces before construction even begins. To date, precast concrete serves dozens of purposes in many different industries. In the agricultural business, precast products include bunker silos, feed and watering troughs, and fencing. For residential and commercial construction, foundations, walls, beams, and floors may all come precast, as can architectural elements such as trim, cladding, and mantels. Other applications include storm water management tools, transportation and roadway items, and wastewater devices. [Courtesy of Bethlehem Construction]

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