Page 14 - CooperatorNews NY November 2021

14 COOPERATORNEWS — NOVEMBER 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM attorneys lawgapc.com @ www.lawgapc.com NORTHERN NEW JERSEY 973-366-1188 CENTRAL NEW JERSEY 732-514-6601 SOUTHERN SO NEW JERSEY 856-533-2379 NEW YORK 212-374-9790 PENNSYLVANIA 973-366-1188 ATTORNEYS AT LAW ▶ Wills, Trusts and Estate Law ▶ Municipal Law ▶ General Litigation ▶ Commercial Law ▶ Business Startups ▶ Community Association Law ▶ Landlord Tenant Law ▶ Land Use and Zoning Law ▶ Disability Law ▶ Real Estate Law and Closings Experienced attorneys providing the right moves towards achieving your endgame STRONG ADVOCATES LISTEN ATTENTIVELY WORK RELENTLESSLY RESOLVE CONFLICT to develop problems faster. But regardless of sachusetts does not require periodic façade age, buildings that are routinely maintained inspections—but the city of Boston does.” In better also will perform better. Keeping water fact, Boston adopted its inspection rules in re- out is key to preventing façade problems.” Katz provides the following illustration: where passersby were struck—and in more “Water that comes into contact with unpro- tected steel will form a coating of rust. Rust that had become detached from building fa- can expand steel by as much as seven times çades and fallen to the sidewalk below. Boston its original thickness, which has the potential adopted an ordinance for inspections every to cause walls to bow outward and become five years: a basic visual from ground level, unstable. Should any signs of bowing be iden- tified, the underlying conditions need to be the whole building up close. examined and adequately corrected as soon as possible to prevent material collapse. If a fa- çade is found to have unsafe conditions, net- ting may need to be installed and a sidewalk with window washing apparatus.” After the bridge erected to prevent injury from falling tragedy in Surfside, Noblin adds that other debris.” Katz goes on to say, “There are cases of opted similar inspection measures—usually buildings being evacuated as a result of un- stable founda- tions, where work on an adjacent lot undermines the foundation of a building next door, causing it to lean and become un- stable. But given the review require- ments in place, it’s rare that façade issues would lead to forced building evacuation.” Interconnecting Systems Façade issues don’t often occur in isola- tion. And more likely than not, they involve water infiltration at some level. “Typically,” notes Alimonti, “water moves with gravity, so, if there’s a problem with the roof, it can cre- ate a problem with the façade. It’s unlikely, though, that the façade would create a prob- lem for a roof, because water doesn’t move up. As concerns the foundation, it’s very impor- tant to waterproof during construction and inspect regularly to monitor water and any potential cracking.” Indeed, whenever a building envelope is compromised, water is almost always the cul- prit. “Virtually all façade problems are related to water infiltration,” says Katz, “and insofar as water has the potential to negatively impact most building components, all building enve- lope problems are interrelated. For example, water infiltration at the roof level could work its way down into the façade, rust structural steel and window lintels, and thereby cause material displacement and unsafe conditions. By the same token, moisture that enters the façade through open joints could work its way down to the foundation and compromise mortar joints and create conditions conducive to mold growth. In all cases, water infiltration can lead to degradation of insulation and compromise the building envelope.” Be Vigilant According to Ralph Noblin, a retired en- gineer and former owner of Massachusetts- based Noblin & Associates, “The state of Mas- sponse to incidents in New York and Chicago than one case killed—by pieces of masonry and then window washer staging to inspect “Now, they are using drones,” says Noblin, “which are very effective. You can get two feet away from the 50th floor, which is difficult smaller towns around Massachusetts have ad- for buildings 75 to 125 feet tall. Echoing his col- leagues, Katz stresses that façade inspections are not a substitute for good design and proper construction. “If a build- ing is designed poorly,” he says, “or executed in a way that compromises the integrity of the build- ing envelope, inspections alone will not correct those issues. And if those underlying problems are not addressed properly, they will continue to re- surface—at additional expense each time. “Sometimes, issues arise soon after con- struction or attempted repair,” Katz continues. “If the cause of damage is determined to be previous construction still under warranty, a building will have recourse to go back to the contractor. In other cases the problems arise over time, and the building’s only recourse might be a legal remedy, which is both costly and not guaranteed to succeed. For this rea- son, it is essential to vet potential contractors, check references, and review past work that they have completed.” Lastly, Alimonti advises that regular in- spections of condo high-rises are critically important. “I believe that every building, es- pecially condos, should be required to per- form an integrity inspection every five years by local government law or regulations, to es- tablish a baseline for slab on grade, basement, façade and vertical walls, waterproofing, roof, terraces, etc. Regular monitoring of the integ- rity of the façade allows for protection of the building—especially the exterior envelope— and most importantly protects the residents from potential disasters.” n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. He can be reached at alan@yrinc.com. FAÇADE INSPECTIONS continued from page 12 “In our experience, the worst damage and deterioration has been the result of deferred maintenance.” —David Katz