Articles

Articles

07/30/10 The New Energy Code Reality

Earlier this month, the New York City Energy Conservation Code went into effect. More stringent than the state energy code, the NYCECC applies to all new building and alteration projects going forward. For architects and engineers, the mantra of a green and ecological future in NYC really starts with this Code. And the proof is in the documentation process. Regardless of project’s status as a renovation or fresh build, all filings now need to make

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07/22/10 Green is Good, But is it Legal?

The Mayor’s office, in the PlaNYC program to make the City more energy efficient and a model for the rest of the country, has been adopting new standards to ‘greenify’ the City. Some of the initiatives seem to be taking root – the street tree planting program, for example, will bring thousands of new trees to our streets every year. The recently launched NYC Energy Code (which may be bringing some grief to developers and

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07/22/10 DOB Launches Deck and Porch Inspection Program

It’s summertime, which means that deck and porch use across the City is spiking. One thing the DOB is sensitive to is how decks and porches deteriorate over time, especially through the change of seasons. With this in mind, the DOB has announced a free program for property owners who would like their deck inspected. Under the program, an inspector will look for structural conditions, such as cracking, rotting, termites, or any other indications of

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07/22/10 Urbancanvas Competition Registration Boom

It’s official – over 700 artists and designers from 39 states have registered for the Urbancavas competition. As a reminder, the competition seeks to find a way to beautify the City through improving the aesthetics of temporary protective structures. The deadline for submissions is only days away on July 28, and the volume of contributions will make it a busy summer for the judging panel. To learn more about the Urbancanvas competition, please click here

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07/15/10 NYC Finance Takes Steps to Control Deed and Mortgage Fraud

NYC Finance has launched a new property alert program that is intended to provide notice to property owners when deeds, mortgages and related documents which affect ownership in a given property have been recorded. On a high level, the program intends to deal with the issues of deed and mortgage fraud. When the City’s central property database is updated, an alert is sent to the corresponding property owner. If the change is fraudulent, the owner

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07/15/10 Manhattan DOB Streamlines Ticket Protocol

The DOB has amended the ticketing procedure to allow customers to use a single application to perform multiple transactions. There are contingencies, which relate to the type of application. Under the new guidelines, customers using an A Ticket – for application processing – may perform up to three transactions with each ticket. These transactions may fall under E-filing (in some cases), Permit, or D.E.A.R corrections. For the D.E.A.R corrections, five or fewer corrections constitute a

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07/15/10 DOB updates BSCAN Discipline Coding

The BSCAN system – which scans and electronically stores approved building plans – has been operational for quite some time now, and the DOB has made an update to the system guidelines. The new changes are considered Discipline Designators – special coding which appears on the prepared documents. The Discipline Designators are the first variables in each drawing’s code, which includes the Drawing Reference Number, Revision Decimal and Plan page number. The Update adds two

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07/01/10 NYC Energy Code Compliance

Starting today, July 1, 2010, ALL filings must indicate compliance with the NYC Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC). Rather than develop a new code, the City is using the New York State Energy Conservation Code and changing some text. The most critical change is that in addition to new buildings and major alterations, compliance is now mandatory for all alterations regardless of the cost or scope of work involved. This means that all filings (D14/Alt I/NB

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07/01/10 Market Chatter Picking Up - Will Projects Follow?

It seems like more than a year has passed since the dramatic downturn in our industry. While there’s certainly no complete rebound, there are persistent rumblings amongst developers, property owners, and financiers to re-examine projects that were long dormant. Is this a new-found confidence in the market? Perhaps. More likely, it’s the realization that there are some profitable deals still on the table. What’s past is the pervasive fear that financing would evaporate, which brought

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06/24/10 urbancanvas Design Competition Launches

The DOB has announced a new competition for artists and designers – to beautify the construction fences, sidewalk sheds and supporting scaffolding throughout the City. While construction remains an important part of everyday City life, job site aesthetics remain a low priority. With this competition, the City hopes to rethink the construction structures throughout City as blank canvases, ready for inspiration. Supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, this competition welcomes the input of

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