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Code & Zoning / Department of Buildings / Industry News
By Austin Regan, R.A. It is inevitable. At every Certificate of Occupancy kickoff meeting, someone interrupts the first 10 minutes of my presentation, saying, “I only want to know what I need for TCO.” The architect, owner, and contractor all ...
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By Alex Rippere A couple years ago, rumors started circulating that the Department of Buildings (DOB) would only permit rooftops and terraces to be occupied for residential amenity space or restaurants and cafes with additional outdoor seating. Those rumors were ...
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By Alex Rippere Part of the joy of this industry comes from watching lines on a page evolve into a finished building over several years. Unfortunately, thanks in part to that stretched-out time frame, some things done at New Building ...
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By Alex Rippere As part of a series on energy code basics, this month’s article addresses envelope assembly types. Specifically, we look at why some kinds of construction comply with energy codes better than others. Broadly speaking, the energy code ...
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By George Crawford Benchmarking—measuring, tracking, and evaluating energy and water consumption using standard metrics, and comparing those numbers among similar buildings—has always been a good idea. Now it’s the law for many New York City property owners. Starting in 2018, ...
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By Alex Rippere 2017 brought its share of challenges and opportunities when it comes to the energy code and its enforcement. The “fun” will likely continue in the year ahead. Retroactive application Last September, the mayor announced that the current ...
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By Frank Fortino With the City Planning Commission’s final approval of the Greater East Midtown Rezoning proposal on August 9, 2017, other rezonings were also applied to certain blocks in the neighborhood. As a result, these areas have since received ...
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By Austin Regan, R.A. Last month we reviewed some of the available advantages when working with a building that does not comply with the zoning resolution’s bulk regulations. A developer can invest capital to repurpose a building to a more ...
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By Alex Rippere This past October marked the one-year anniversary of the 2016 New York City Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC 2016). Looking back, the code change has brought its share of challenges. Perhaps the trickiest thing about the energy code ...
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By Austin Regan It’s always been tough to be a non-conformist in society. From the 17th century Salem “witches” to today’s “kneeling” athletes, those who choose to act outside society’s norms have always risked the scorn and ridicule of the ...
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By Alex Rippere Probably the most frequent question I get about the 2016 New York City Energy Conservation Code (2016 NYCECC) concerns vestibule requirements. Then again, this was also the most frequent question under both the 2011 and 2014 NYCECC. ...
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By Alex Rippere It’s no secret that buildings are responsible for one-third of total energy consumption in the U.S. economy, and understanding ways to lower that consumption has been driving energy codes since 1975, with the release of ASHRAE Standard ...
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