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 the E-Designation, also known as a “little ‘e.’” An E-Designation on… View more
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 profitable use and end up with a property that is larger… View more
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 is that, because it affects so many aspects of the finished… View more
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 majority. Of course, burning at the stake has been replaced with… View more
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. Designers don’t seem to like vestibules much as they take up… View more
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 90. Energy consumption is most easily understood in terms of dollars… 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