By Andrew J. Pisani Conversations about lighting usually are the domain of designers and architects. Yet a compelling case for LED upgrades is making bean counters take notice. LED lighting systems have come along way in recent years. The basic value proposition weighs a higher up front cost but much longer… View more
By Frank Fortino How’s this for a fast pace. After a forty year break between the 1968 Building Code and the 2008 Code, the City’s on track to convert over to the newly minted 2014 Code. With the signing of LL141/13, the 2014 Code will supersede the 2008 Code on October… View more
By Garvey Thelemaque The 2014 Building Code will bring a slew of new changes that impact our daily work. The best way to get ahead? Definitely with one of several training events taking place throughout the City. Here are the upcoming events in April for the 2014 Construction Codes Overview. When… View more
By Frank Fortino Over the years our industry has trended towards a healthy, greener environment. Eco friendly materials have been matched with requirements for more green space, tree plantings, bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. Now, with an update to the Zoning Code, the DOB is taking the next step of improving… View more
By Andrew J. Pisani The Department of Buildings has always had a policy which allowed for a space that was normally a non-Public Assembly space to act as a Public Assembly space for a special event. In the eyes of the DOB, Public Assembly is considered a group of 75 people… View more
By Austin Regan BC 403.5.2 Additional Exit Stairway “For buildings other than Group R-2 that are more than 420 feet in building height, one additional exit stairway… shall be provided in addition to the minimum number of exits required…” In other words, if your tall building normally requires two stairways to… View more
By Brian Lafferty Sometimes, FDNY Violations feel like parking tickets. Try as you might, they just happen. The good news is that it’s relatively straightforward to avoid the FDNY’s ‘low hanging fruit’ – the most obvious violations. 1. Keep all approved plans and documents on site. Make sure the site manager… View more