By Penny Laughlin Beginning next month, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) will expand the job filing types accepted in its interactive, web-based portal, DOB NOW. Here’s the DOB NOW facts for August 2017: Antennae and Curb Cuts DOB NOW: Build will begin accepting new Antenna and Curb Cut… View more
By Andrew J. Pisani July will soon be a memory, but we still have the full month of August to enjoy the glorious days of summer. Beaches and picnics. Barbecues and baseball. Vacation. With the kids off from school, bicycles and skateboards fill the streets, along with the sound of children’s… View more
By Alex Rippere On July 20, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) held a public hearing to discuss updates to Title I of the Rules of the City of New York Chapter 5000 (1 RCNY 5000). While the name sounds long and boring, the RCNY 5000 update is important…. View more
By Mario Aurioso As New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) continues the roll-out of DOB NOW, NYC DOB boiler code filings are moving to the new system, effective August 14, 2017. As a well practiced NYC DOB expeditor, I myself, among others in the industry, expect to see the DOB… View more
By Robert Proffitt, R.A. Perhaps you’ve heard that the Department of Buildings (DOB) recently decided to crack down on rooftop terraces not permitted as of right. The rumors are true. The NYC DOB roof deck rules are without a doubt changing. Moving forward, only residential properties may use rooftops as amenity… View more
By George Crawford Just a few years ago, utilities were priming the LED retrofit pump with high rebates. Rebate funding often covered the entire cost of LED products for qualifying projects. Today rebates are much lower, covering maybe 25% of the cost of LED products for a commercial retrofit—even less for… View more
By Alex Rippere As a building code consultant, the most maddening energy code objection I’ve encountered in the past two years pertains to establishing a proposed exterior wall’s maximum thermal conductivity, aka the U-factor (lower=better). For example, an above-grade mass wall needs to meet a U-factor of no more than 0.104… View more