Page 10 - NY Cooperator November 2020

10 THE COOPERATOR — NOVEMBER 2020 COOPERATOR.COM 100+ Years / 380+ Buildings / 1000s of Satisfied Owners, Residents and Boards l State-of-the-Art Financial Reporting l Responsiveness & Communication are Our Top Priorities l Leader in Technology & Compliance Tracking l Energy Auctions & Volume Purchasing to Reduce Building Costs l Long-Term Continuity of Managers & Systems l Greening NYC One Building at a Time Management for the Ages 675 Third Ave. New York, NY 10017 212-370-9200 ellimanpm.com info@ellimanpm.com RANKED #1 RESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY IN NYC EllimanRethink_NEW_DEPM ad_V1.indd 1 4/18/19 11:46 AM ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING SERVICES: - Structural - MEP - Interior Design BUILDING ENVELOPE / RESTORATION / FACADE INSPECTION SAFETY PROGRAMS CONSTRUCTION DEFECT TESTING / INVESTIGATION ENERGY CONSULTING FORENSIC TESTING / LITIGATION SUPPORT NYC SPECIAL INSPECTIONS 5 YEAR CAPITAL PLANNING 350 7th Avenue, Suite 2000 New York, NY 10001 (646) 292 - 3515 info@falconengineering.com www.falconengineering.com ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND ENERGY CONSULTANTS velope, the building systems are not op- erating at peak effi ciency, which leads to energy loss. At the same time, it increases energy use, which causes more negative climate eff ects. Buildings must have a tight envelope to reduce their carbon footprint, and to make their mechanical systems— especially heating and cooling—more ef- fi cient.” As for what we’re making buildings out of, Keating says, “Building materials them- selves haven’t hastened change, but their eff ect has to be addressed. Th ere’s nothing inherent in brick and mortar that’s prob- lematic. Th at said, climate change does make it more susceptible to problems for several reasons: both the freeze/thaw cy- cle and intense rainstorms get moisture into mortar joints, and eventually destroy them. Wind has an adverse eff ect as well, on both siding and on roofs. Ultimately, climate change has an eff ect on all build- ing components. Heavier, more intense weather simply has a more intense eff ect on buildings.” Short-Run vs. Long-Run As an industry—and as individuals for whom condo and co-op units represent a primary investment—we must seriously consider how we can improve our prop- erties to cope with both immediate and longer-range issues related to maintenance and the ongoing climate crisis. Climate scientists are unanimous in their fi ndings that climate change is real, and that we have passed the point where it is entirely reversible, though it may still be control- lable. One important—and alarming—aspect of the overall picture is the inevitable rise in sea levels, which will aff ect our many major urban centers located along the coasts and coastal rivers. As the waters rise, large swaths of New York City, Bos- ton, and Miami will be aff ected. Th at means that basement rooms are a problem. Aft er Superstorm Sandy crashed into New York City in 2012 and caused bil- lions of dollars in water and fl ood damage to below-grade electrical and mechanical equipment, the city mandated that systems be relocated to higher fl oors, out of harm’s way. “Many existing older buildings are located in fl ood plains,” says Keating. “To mitigate problems associated with this fact retrospectively, property owners must pull important operating systems and equip- ment out of basements and put them as high up as possible out of reach of fl ood waters.” While likely a smart move, shift ing equipment upward isn’t without signifi cant cost. In addition to the cost of physically disassembling, moving, and reassembling crucial equipment, Keating explains that relocating major systems like HVAC, boil- ers, and elevator machinery will likely take up valuable usable space—space that could CLIMATE CHANGE... continued from page 9 But being able to do something legally does not mean it’s easy or doable in practice. “It all depends upon the size of your build- ing and the makeup of your building,” con- tinues Smiler. “If you’re dealing with a co-op that’s only 10 units, I as the attorney could probably run the meeting for you. If you’re dealing with, let’s say, a Mitchell-Lama prop- erty that might have 2,100 units, then you really need a separate election monitoring company or election service company that will run the platform for you.” David Berkey, a partner with the fi rm, has the same recommendation. “For the largest buildings,” he says, “there are profes- sional voting companies \[that\] assist boards and management companies to prepare for and conduct these virtual annual meetings.” Berkey adds that for owners or sharehold- ers who have concerns about election legiti- macy, professional companies can set up a secure electronic voting process. “Th ere are ways to protect against voter fraud, but you VIRTUAL... continued from page 1 otherwise be used for residences or com- mon areas. All this changes the way architects will design buildings in the future, says Gold- ner. “If, for argument’s sake, our climate got cooler instead of hotter, our heating systems—which are typically oversized— could handle the problem. But on the other hand, our cooling systems are not necessarily designed to handle an increase in temperatures. Take window-unit air conditioners, for instance. If they’re over- capacity, they’re energy-ineffi cient. Cen- tralized systems can’t keep up with the in- crease in temperatures either. So this could become a design issue going forward. But if you tune the boiler, tighten the windows and building envelope, go to LED lights, etc., you lower the loads, which gets you savings, lower costs, lower emissions, and reduced greenhouse gases, which helps to delay the problem.” Solar panels, Goldner goes on to ex- plain, are a great alternative—where they can be used, at least. “We can ‘right size’ renewable energy when we lower the load in a building, thereby lowering our carbon footprint. Energy storage through renew- able sources is also helpful and being used. If you have an ineffi cient building, you can save money, especially if you have storage capacity for energy. “Ultimately, the biggest impact buildings and the people managing and living in them can have is by taking actions in their control today,” says Goldner. “Small investments— sometimes just no-cost changes in daily ac- tions—typically have high returns on both investment and eff ort and provide long- term impacts for both individual buildings and society. It helps everybody.” n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for Th e Cooperator and a published novelist.