Whether a building is old or new, built of stone, brick, glass or some other material, trouble with or damage to its façade is a serious emergency. Telltale signs of building breakdown on the outside—a growing crack or crumbling mortar f…
No matter how conscientious your residents, no matter how dedicated your super and support staff, it’s inevitable: your building’s common areas are going to take a beating. Foot traffic can damage flooring, and everything from luggage to…
As technology leaps forward, countless pieces of formerly indispensable equipment become obsolete, outdated, and replaced. In light of these technological advances, it’s interesting to think of the things that have not changed—inventions…
Technological applications to residential building life are becoming more prevalent, and in some cases, they’ve even become more affordable than in the past. An “intelligent” building is able to monitor its environmental, mechanical, and…
Gone are the days when you could give your kids some coloring books or Legos and expect them to amuse themselves for hours. Nowadays, play spaces and children’s amenities have become crucial aspects in the marketing and sales of New York Ci…
In today’s economic climate, many of the city’s co-ops and condos have begun to feel the pinch as they struggle to pay their bills. Often, buildings are forced to raise maintenance fees to make ends meet. And while maintenance fees or sp…
Real estate in the Big Apple like any large metropolis is expensive, and that often means making due with a small apartment. Small spaces present many functional and aesthetic problems—lack of storage, oppressive walls, etc. Fortunately,…
It seems that nearly everything is going “green” these days. Whether it’s the special green issue of a popular consumer magazine, an advertisement for a fuel-efficient hybrid car or a push toward environmentally friendly building materi…
The concept of a “carbon footprint” has been widely circulated in the media for the last couple of years—particularly as global warming has become such an urgent topic of discussion for people other than Al Gore. Essentially, a carbon fo…
With the constant rise in energy costs, the use of “peak generating plants” and increased individual energy consumption, we are seeing a direct impact on our monthly electricity bill. According to Con Ed, July 2008 set a new record of 6…