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LANDY VERDERAME Arianna, a Great Neck, L.I.-based architecture firm, hasn't been asked to create many original designs during the past several years.
"We've been doing renovations almost exclusively," says partner Tobias Arianna. "Bank renovations in particular." The nine-person firm, which has revenues of less than $1 million, is currently redesigning several Chase Manhattan branches in Brooklyn.
With seven lean years of virtually no new commercial construction in the area, companies engaged in construction, interior design, architecture and general contracting have been forced to take what they can get. "When the building market subsided, all of us had to look for other types of work to keep going, says Rob Blackman, an executive vice president at Tishman Construction Corp.
Confronted with shrinking margins and growing competition, virtually every New York-area firm has shifted gears. Several have adjusted their businesses by focusing on the less lucrative work of renovating and retrofitting existing buildings. Mr. Arianna estimates that renovations work can run from $25 to $65 a square foot, while new construction would be in the $90 to $150 range.
Others have developed new units to deal with specific niche markets. such as technology and health care. And firms that specialize in building large office towers are now erecting retail superstores and hospital additions.
"The major construction companies in New York have diversified their activity away from large office buildings and other...