Category: Building Operations

 New York is one of the most diverse cities on the face of the earth. Its huddled masses yearning to breathe free include immigrants from places  completely unlike the Big Apple: Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Uruguay—even North Dakota. There are m…

 Most people don’t think much about their garbage after they toss it down the chute or into a  container for pickup, but the fact is, removing a multifamily community's trash  and recyclables can be a big job, especially in a private devel…

 For the most part, human nature is fearful of change; people are more likely to  stick with what they have and what they know, rather than explore new  possibilities and take on unknown risks. That’s certainly the case with condo and co-o…

 As any good co-op or condo building administrator knows—either through common sense or painful experience—failing to clean up snow or ice promptly can result in injuries, acrimony, and  expensive lawsuits. Any one of those is reason enoug…

 Saving energy does a lot more than just reduce a building’s carbon footprint and toxic emissions—going green can save a building some green too. The steps a co-op or condo  building can take to reduce energy consumption and save money ran…

 We as a culture produce a lot of trash—and not just in the form of reality television shows, late night infomercials,  and bad romance novels. Whether it’s the candy wrappers we toss into the trash bins outside on the sidewalk, the  newsp…

 Going green doesn’t have anything to do with choosing a natural paint color for your kitchen, or  planting herbs in your community garden. But the phrase can have many different  meanings and can be done across a broad spectrum. Turning o…

 With the green movement in full swing across the country, it is not surprising  that incorporating energy saving and efficient measures has trickled into  condominium development. Today, many buildings in the New York area pride  themselv…

 Blizzards. Ice Storms. Hurricanes. Floods. New Yorkers are used to being  buffeted by Mother Nature. But increasingly, it seems, the impact of such  storms has lingered long after the weather front blows through, with hundreds  or thousan…

 Noise is a key quality-of-life problem for almost anyone living in a  densely-packed urban environment. Many urban dwellers are immune to it as a  result of having lived all their lives in the city—maybe you even grew up next to an elevat…