History

Ben Torcivia established Torcon as a general contractor in Westfield, New Jersey on August 3. He began the business with seven employees, most of which ultimately retired with the company.

The company’s initial projects were industrial facilities for Tenneco Plastics, Wallace & Tiernan, and White Labs, and a new office building for Esso (now Exxon) in Florham Park.

In the early 1970s Torcon began construction of an addition to the chemistry building at Newark College of Engineering (Tiernan Hall). The university, now known as New Jersey Institute of Technology, played in an important role in Torcon through the years, as a client, as a source of dozens of company staff and executives, and through Mr. Torcivia’s involvement on the school’s board.

Torcon’s has a long history with biopharma facility construction, including many projects with Hoffmann-LaRoche. The company’s first, a toxicology lab facility, was built at Roche’s historic Nutley campus and was quickly followed by more than one dozen projects over the next ten years.

In the mid-seventies Torcon’s began a decade-long relationship with Prudential Insurance. The 388,000 sq. ft. Prudential Property and Casualty’s headquarters in Holmdel was also Torcon’s first project as a construction manager. Torcon would work with Prudential on  almost two million sq. ft. of commercial projects in Parsippany, Short Hills, Princeton and elsewhere.

As New Jersey became an attractive option for commercial office space, Torcon was frequently the CM of choice. Among the most noteworthy projects is the Gateway III and IV complex in Newark, marking the first new office buildings in the city in many years. The 15-story and 18-story buildings shared an atrium and provided 800,000 sq. ft. of office space.

The resurgence of Jersey City as a commercial center began in the 1980’s and included the landmark Exchange Place Center. Torcon was CM for the 30 story waterfront office building. Built over the underground PATH station, the Exchange Place foundation system was carefully designed and installed to avoid the light rail system’s tunnels, which were so old no reliable as built drawings existed.

A key milestone in Torcon’s history was Torcon’s construction of Schering-Plough’s (now Merck & Co., Inc.) 985,000 sq. ft. Drug Discovery Facility. As the DDF was beginning construction, Ciba-Geigy (Novartis) hired Torcon as CM for its Life Science Building, which was modeled after the Salk Institute. The two projects represented almost $400 million in construction (1990 dollars) and  were two of the largest biopharma lab projects in the nation.

This period marked Torcon’s work on three highly-sophisticated facilities for the Federal Reserve Bank. Initially CM for the New York Bank’s East Rutherford Operations Center (EROC), Torcon was ultimately involved with two additional projects: a new operations annex and HQ renovation for the Cleveland Fed, and a new 750,000 sq. ft. HQ and operations center in Atlanta. Each facility provides large-scale automated cash vaults  and housed mission critical data centers for electronic fund transfers.

Torcon began its first project with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Real Estate Division in 1992. The Trenton Office Complex redeveloped an entire city block in the capital city, providing office space and parking for NJ Motor Vehicle Services and a separate building with TV studios for New Jersey Network (PBS). In total, Torcon built 800,000 sq. ft. of space. NJEDA continues to be one of Torcon’s most valued clients.

Torcon began working at The Valley Hospital in 1994 on a single-floor addition to the Cheel Building. The relationship has continued uninterrupted with a range of capital upgrades, additions and renovations, both at the hospital and at off-site locations. Torcon was also CM for Valley’s Luckow ambulatory surgery and cancer center, the new Health and Wellness Center in Mahwah, and currently for Valley’s replacement hospital in Paramus.

In the late 1990s Torcon completed its first project in Philadelphia. Based on the company’s industry leading experience on large lab facilities, a Torcon-led joint venture CM team was selected by the University of Pennsylvania for its 14-story Biomedical Research Building II. The facility provided 384,000 sq. ft. of lab and vivarium space, staff offices and support space.

Soon after the completion of BRB2, Torcon established an operations office at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Torcon was part of the joint-venture CM team that oversaw a $900 million program to replace American Airlines’ terminal facilities at JFK International Airport. The 2.2 million sq. ft. project was built in 17 phases to maintain airport operations throughout. The 9/11 attacks occurred during the project’s construction, adding even more complexity due to increased airport security and restrictive site access as well as security upgrades to the facility itself.

The early 2000’s also marks the expansion of Torcon’s operations to Puerto Rico. Torcon had worked with Wyeth (Pfizer) for many years at the company’s Pearl River, New York R&D campus. Wyeth asked Torcon to oversee a $5M production facility expansion in Puerto Rico, which immediately led to a new $100M piperacillin manufacturing plant, creating the world’s largest lyophilization facility. Within a few years Torcon was the island’s largest construction manager.

Among the most unique and interesting projects in Torcon’s history is Princeton University’s Whitman College. The 500-bed residential facility comprises ten interconnected buildings, including a dining facility and a theater. Most significant is the project’s Collegiate Gothic architecture and use of traditional materials and methods, such as load- bearing masonry walls with hand-set fieldstone, limestone accents and slate and copper roofing.

A landmark project for Torcon was a $200M contract to build several buildings associated with the Brookhaven National Laboratories NSLS-II facility. The facility’s overall budget was $900M and was designed to create a next generation cyclic particle accelerator to enable scientists to analyze materials at a nano-particle level. Torcon work included the concrete storage ring tunnel/building (1/2 mile in circumference) requiring precise tolerances and unique high-density concrete.

Torcon’s work with during this decade included iconic architecture and modern workspaces. Torcon’s Philadelphia office built Campbell Soup Company’s 80,000 sq. ft. Employee Building, which serves as a new front door to the company’s long-time Camden home. Torcon was also CM for Commvault’s corporate headquarters at Fort Monmouth, a new executive office building for ETS, and Bristol- Myers Squibb’s Princeton Pike office complex.

Torcon was part of a joint-venture team responsible for the construction of a 865,000 sq. ft. lab for USMRIID at Fort Dietrick. The new building is the world’s largest high containment facility, providing BSL-4, BSL-3 and BSL-2 spaces. USAMRIID is the U.S. Department of Defense’s lead laboratory for medical biological defense research, including protecting the military and the public against biological warfare and infectious agents.

Torcon was CM for two major projects with NJIT in the last decade. A renovation of the historic Central King Building created a modern academic facility with classroom, study and collaboration spaces. Torcon also CM for NJIT’s new Wellness & Entertainment Center, a 200,000 sq. ft. facility that includes a 3,500 seat arena, a competitive swimming and diving pool, an indoor track, and a variety of student-focused spaces. A new soccer field was also added.

Torcon’s Philadelphia office has worked with Villanova University since 2007, as CM for Driscoll Hall, home to the College of Nursing. In 2019, Torcon completed construction of Villanova’s Commons, a 400,000 sq. ft. residential complex providing housing for 1100 students. The Commons features modern suites with kitchens and baths, two fitness centers and a bistro restaurant. A new parking garage was also added.

New Valley Hospital  Torcon’s 25+ year relationship with Valley Health continues with the current construction of the new Valley Hospital in Paramus. The 875,000 sq. ft. acute care hospital comprises three seven-story wings and an integrated three-story podium structure. The hospital will have 370 single patient rooms and twenty OR’s, as well as an integrated garage for 1500 cars.