Archinect - News

Post-Surfside safety precautions could spur a new gold rush to replace aging Florida condo buildings

2024-07-30T16:49:00-04:00

Regulations passed in Florida after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium have helped fuel the drive by developers to buy out and replace older residential buildings. The new rules have increased costs for residents in many older buildings, sometimes requiring sizeable special assessments that may be unaffordable.

The rush to improve building safety in the wake of the 2021 Surfside condo collapse has since produced some unintended and expensive consequences for residents of Florida condominiums, three-quarters of whom live in structures that are now more than 30 years old.

While the laws’ intent is to protect their lives and property, the costs offloaded onto them through their condo associations have fueled a separate gold rush on the part of developers (who were already looking to take advantage of the new Resiliency and Safe Structures Act to make way for more lucrative new constructions). The court ruling in the Biscayne 21 case, if upheld, might now be the only thing preventing the mass-scale redevelopment of the many peers of Champlain Towers South, regardless of their current structural integrity.

Drexel University researchers develop AI-guided robotic structural inspection system

2024-02-12T08:00:00-05:00

Researchers based at the Drexel University College of Engineering have devised a new method for performing structural safety inspections using autonomous robots aided by machine learning technology.

The article they published recently in the Elsevier journal Automation in Construction presented the potential for a new multi-scale monitoring system informed by deep-learning algorithms that work to find cracks and other damage to buildings before using LiDAR to produce three-dimensional images for inspectors to aid in their documentation.

The development could potentially work to benefit the enormous task of maintaining the health of structures that are increasingly being reused or restored in cities large and small across the country. Despite the relative age of America’s built environment, roughly two-thirds of today’s existing buildings will be in use in the year 2050, according to Gensler’s predictions.

UK museums report new Raac concrete investigations as safety concerns spread

2023-11-09T14:01:00-05:00

The issue of unsafe concrete panels in the aging structures in the UK is affecting museums and cultural institutions who now report conducting their own building safety investigations after a spate of school closures linked to the issue first stirred controversy in August.

A report compiled by The Art Newspaper details efforts on the part of the Southbank Centre, Royal Academy of Arts, and others to document and deinstall reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (or Raac) panels that have been proven to be susceptible to water damage and structural failures.

No use of the materials had been discovered in the Barbican Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, or newly renovated National Galleries Scotland, all four institutions independently confirmed.

Twentieth Century Society Director Catherine Croft told the publication: “There is an urgent need to understand where Raac was used, to examine whether or not it is now failing in each case, and then work out how best to repa...

Over 100 schools close in the UK over concrete safety concerns

2023-09-08T11:41:00-04:00

More than one hundred schools and education settings in the United Kingdom have been closed due to concerns over the integrity of concrete roof panels. So far, 147 schools are known to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), with approximately one hundred fully or partially closed, impacting more than 100,000 students at the start of the new school year.

The latest developments began in August when a Raac panel collapsed in a school in England, prompting a wider government review. While 147 schools have been identified as containing Raac, education unions warn that “hundreds more” schools could be impacted. Meanwhile, thirteen universities have closed or partially closed, alongside a number of theaters and cultural venues that have closed as inspections continue. The Guardian additionally reports that the number of UK prisons containing Raac may take two years to identify.

Raac, also referred to as “aircrete,” was utilized from the 1950s to the 1990s in UK public buil...

Collapsed Surfside condo tower had ‘severe strength deficiency’ in pool deck, preliminary findings say

2023-06-15T14:43:00-04:00

Federal investigators have released their preliminary findings into the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida. As reported by The New York Times, the building’s pool deck contained a “severe structural deficiency,” with construction in some areas failing to meet both building codes and its original design parameters.

The investigation is being led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and has so far included witness interviews, a review of historical records, tests on building materials, and the analysis of models for structural performance. The original design and construction of the building have been examined, as have any renovations and repairs in the years since. The potential for corrosion, ground settlement, and vibrations from nearby construction to contribute to the collapse has also been examined.

“In summaries of their preliminary findings ahead of a hearing Thursday, the investigators wrote that the pool deck’s design ...

New report highlights inadequate oversight of building construction sites by the NYC Department of Buildings

2022-09-14T10:00:00-04:00

According to a new report by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, 89% of the visited active construction sites across New York City had safety issues, highlighting the need for the improvement of the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) oversight of construction sites.

Between June 10, 2021 and August 31, 2021, officials from the New York State Comptroller visited 43 construction sites in all five boroughs of New York City. Eighteen of these sites were actively under construction at the time of the visits, and 16 of the 18 sites had a total of 77 safety issues. They included not having a site safety manager; missing or incomplete site safety logs and daily inspection records; and no documentation of workers completing required site safety training or attending mandatory safety meetings.

Previously on Archinect: NYC Department of Buildings shuts down 322 construction sites in 'zero-tolerance' safety sweep

Additionally, the report found that DOB did not issue violations for ...

An adaptive-reuse project in the Bronx has become New York's most notorious construction site

2022-06-07T09:00:00-04:00

This site, where an old building is being transformed into a charter school, has just distinguished itself from the 40,000 other major construction projects in New York City by having its third worker fatality in less than three years. No other construction site in New York City has had this many separate fatal incidents since at least 2003, when the Department of Buildings began keeping electronic records. But despite the pattern of deaths, the consequences have been negligible.

In full view of the Major Deegan Expressway, 20 Bruckner Boulevard, known throughout the New York area as the site of the iconic former History Channel (and later iHeartRadio) billboard, was once the ice storehouse of a former Yankees owner and is now being transformed into a charter school by developer Maddd Equities, who has had a scant $28,000 in fines levied against them in the past years despite the record-high fatalities.

Being a construction worker is one of the most lethal occupations in New York City, with rates of injury and death rising ahead of the pandemic before falling slightly owing to the economic downturn. Most of the men profiled in the Times are nonunion immigrant laborers working for $120-per-day to start, with some being recruited from homeless shelters to meet demands. An OSHA investigation revealed that some deaths were not properly reported for weeks.

Previously on Archinect: Nearly 1 in 4 workplace deaths in New York occur in construction

Multiple stop-work...

NYC Mayor Eric Adams appoints Eric Ulrich as Commissioner of the Department of Buildings

2022-05-05T11:57:00-04:00

Former New York City Council member Eric Ulrich has been appointed as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) by Mayor Eric Adams.

Ulrich will serve alongside Kazimir Vilenchik, the new First Deputy Commissioner, and replaces Gus Sirakis, who has been serving as the DOB’s Acting Commissioner for the past six weeks.

Earlier on Archinect: NYC Department of Buildings shuts down 322 construction sites in 'zero tolerance' safety sweep

“Our city and our economy cannot recover from the COVID-19 pandemic without a strong construction industry, and this team will deliver while prioritizing worker safety and customer service,” Adams said before thanking Sirakis for his service during the pandemic.

Ulrich comes to the job with a reputation for having played a critical role in New York’s post-Sandy recovery efforts through his role on the council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings. His initiative in that capacity to rezone vulnerable communities in the city affected by coastal ...

Florida fails to pass bill increasing condo structural inspections following Champlain Towers collapse

2022-03-14T15:38:00-04:00

Florida’s state legislature has failed to pass a bill which would have strengthened requirements to inspect and repair the state’s aging condo stock. The new legislation was drafted in response to the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in June 2021, which killed 98 people.

The reform bills, one crafted by the state’s House of Representatives and one by the state Senate, both included strict inspection measures for condo associations, incorporating recommendations from a group of industry experts set up after the Champlain Towers collapse.

Archinect Feature: A House of Cards: The Miami Condo Collapse Exposes a Dehumanized Mindset in the Built Environment

Under the House bill, condo buildings three stories or higher would have to be recertified after 30 years of habitation, while buildings within 3 miles of the coast would have to be recertified after 25 years. Subsequent inspections would be required every 10 years thereafter. Such information would also be plac...

A condominium in Waukesha, Wisconsin has been evacuated after structural deficiencies discovered

2021-12-10T17:10:00-05:00

A 48-unit condominium building in Waukesha, Wis., that was in imminent threat of collapse due to a rusted structural frame and columns has had its residents evacuated. The City of Waukesha, on Dec. 2, deemed that the Horizon West Condominium building at 315 N. West Ave. is unsafe for occupancy.

65 residents were ordered to immediately evacuate the building, which was originally constructed in 1966. McGuire Contractors, Inc. was called in to temporarily stabilize the structure with new steel bracing, however, the building is still not safe to be in. The company’s president, Steve McGuire, attributed the issues to the condo’s fireproofing, which soaked up water that migrated through the concrete balcony causing the gradual deterioration of the structural steel over the course of 55 years.

Since June of 2020, the city has reportedly known about the conditions of the balconies after a complaint was made. The fire department conducted inspections throughout 2020 and 2021, leading to the installation of fencing around the building due to the worsening condition of the balconies and falling debris. A month later, the condo association began removing the balconies, which revealed the state of the structural frame of the building and the columns.

NYC Department of Buildings' 'zero tolerance' safety sweeps have resulted in 1,499 stop work orders

2021-09-24T15:36:00-04:00

New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca has announced the results of the department’s citywide “zero tolerance” construction safety enforcement campaign.

Since its launch on June 1, 2021, DOB inspectors have conducted safety sweeps at approximately 7,500 building construction sites across all five boroughs, issuing over 3,600 violations to contractors and site safety professionals for their failure to keep work sites safe and 1,499 stop work orders. These aggressive measures are in response to seven building construction-related deaths in New York City in the first half of 2021.

“DOB enforcement is of critical importance in promoting safety at construction sites; but the reality is that we cannot be in all places at all times,” said Commissioner La Rocca. “To protect the lives of the working men and women who are building in our city, we need our partners in the construction industry to step up and join us in pushing for enhanced round-the-clock...

NYC Department of Buildings shuts down 322 construction sites in 'zero tolerance' safety sweep

2021-07-01T17:26:00-04:00

The New York City Department of Buildings has shut down 322 construction sites across the city due to hazardous conditions in June 2021.

The DOB issued full and partial stop-work orders to the affected sites, citing more than 1,129 violations for safety and non-compliance issues. In total, the DOB has carried out safety inspections at more than 2,100 of New York’s larger and more complex construction sites. These orders are part of new “zero tolerance” safety sweeps initiated on June 1, 2021 by DOB Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca, in response to a number of construction deaths that occurred earlier this year. Depending on the severity of safety infringements, inspectors issued enforcement actions or completely shut down sites.

Previously on Archinect: With construction injuries on the rise, NYC steps up surprise job site inspections

In addition, the DOB released a new building construction safety report early last week, that outlines construction safety trends in New York in 2019 ...

Skydio releases autonomous drone software that can create detailed 3D models in real time

2021-06-04T19:15:00-04:00

Earlier this week, U.S. autonomous drone manufacturer, Skydio, launched Skydio 3D Scan, an adaptive scanning software that allows its drones to generate incredibly detailed 3D models of real-world settings with a very high degree of autonomy.

3D Scan is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence skills that automate photographic data collection and mapping functions for important tasks ranging from infrastructure asset inspection to digital twin generation as well as crime and accident scene reconstruction.

"Corsair Jet", an image of an old jet captured with 3D Scan and a Skydio drone. Image: Skydio

In real time, objects and locations can be digitized and explored. Bridges and roads that may be in need of structural repair, accident sites, and clients looking to inspect construction sites can receive explicitly detailed, 3D recreations of these scenes.

According to Skydio, the software has been tested by the likes of the North Carolina Department of Transportation for bridge i...

Bridge inspection market around the world could top $6.3 billion by 2030

2020-02-25T18:27:00-05:00

Demand for routine bridge inspections is expected to rise four times its current level to reach a market valuation of $6.3 billion by the end of 2029, according to research firm Fact.MR. A push for infrastructure modernization in the Asia-Pacific region the largest share of the market at 35%.

According to Construction Dive, the need for more bridge inspections will be driven by a combination of aging infrastructure, exposure to damaging environmental conditions, and an increase in traffic volume, all of which speed up the deterioration of bridges. This is expected to raise the demand for the construction of bridges by three times over the next decade.

With construction injuries on the rise, NYC steps up surprise job site inspections

2019-12-04T07:00:00-05:00

The surprise inspections are New York’s most aggressive effort to tighten oversight of construction sites after a surge in worker injuries as the city undergoes its biggest building boom in more than half a century... ...In the first nine months of this year — as dozens of surprise inspections were carried out daily — construction injuries fell by 26 percent to 437 from 590 in the same period the year before, according to city-data.

The surprise inspections have been carried out by a team of 38 experts in areas such as renovations, high-rise construction, scaffolding, and demolitions, reports The New York Times. The team is due to eventually grow to 53. Since September 2018, the team has completed 20,166 surprise inspections of 10,256 construction sites, according to The Times. Of those visits, 11,484 violations were issued, totaling $15 million in fines, with another 2,523 stop-work orders issued, The Times reports.

Should drones perform building inspections?

2019-07-17T16:25:00-04:00

Municipal laws in New York City are hampering the city's real estate developers and building owners as they look to embrace the use of drones to perform periodic building and facade inspections on their properties, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

In New York City, owners of buildings rising six stories or more are required to inspect their building facades every five years to assess building safety issues as part of the Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP). The process typically involves painstaking visual inspection as well as the erection of extensive temporary scaffolding. Typically, the inspections can cost thousands of dollars to perform while also cluttering sidewalks and overhead areas with the scaffolding elements.

“It’s long been our feeling that it would enable buildings to save a tremendous amount of money if inspection of facades could be done with drones with cameras,” Mary Ann Rothman, executive director of the New York City Council of Coopera...

New safety and corruption concerns over Bel Air megamansion: 'entire house must be demolished,' says former construction manager

2019-06-20T15:23:00-04:00

The mammoth, unfinished mansion on Strada Vecchia Road in Bel-Air has long been at the center of controversy, investigations and legal battles. Its developer, Mohamed Hadid, pleaded no contest to criminal charges after prosecutors accused him of building a house far bigger than allowed. [...] And investigators have looked into possible wrongdoing by a city building inspector scrutinizing the house.

Looks like the legal drama over the gargantuan on-again/off-again under-construction Bel Air megamansion by celebrity developer Mohamed Hadid is entering a new act: Russell Linch, the contested project's former construction manager, has come forward this week and accused a Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety inspector of allegedly accepting perks in exchange for 'overlooking' building code violations.

"Because I believe the piles are inadequate to support the house, I believe the house is unsafe and that the entire house must be demolished," Linch added in his declaration.

San Francisco's Salesforce Tower deploys drones to inspect its 1,070-foot-tall facade

2019-03-13T13:56:00-04:00

Salesforce Tower, San Francisco’s tallest building, can be seen for miles around the Bay Area. But to inspect the building’s exterior for potential damage, owner Boston Properties needed to get close. So it enlisted a drone. At 1,070 feet, the tower is a major example of the growing use of drones for building and construction inspections.

The SF Chronicle writes about the increasing deployment of flying high-tech equipment to cut down on the inspection time (and cost) on very large buildings, such as Salesforce Tower: "The small aircraft, which now have high definition cameras, are cheaper, faster and safer than traditional human inspections, said Zeev Braude, CEO of SiteAware, which created the drone software used in the Salesforce Tower inspection."

Despite all the technological advancements, the age of human building facade inspections isn't entirely over yet and, instead, takes to new heights: Meet New York City's fearless rope-access building inspectors.

Meet New York City's fearless rope-access building inspectors

2019-03-08T19:04:00-05:00

A growing number of building facade inspectors, increasingly women, are rappelling into New York City’s glass and terra-cotta canyons.

Stefanos Chen introduces us to New York City's growing community of "industrial rope access" facade inspectors.

"The city requires that of the approximately 1 million buildings in New York City, those taller than six stories — more than 14,500 structures — have their facades inspected every five years, to ensure the safety of passers-by below," writes Chen.

"Rather than using bulky swing-stage scaffolds, like the ones for window washing, or hydraulic cranes that block traffic, an increasing number of design and engineering firms are training their staff to rappel down the side of skyscrapers in search of dangerous defects."

Grenfell Tower inquiry: expert architectural witness fired because he was not a registered architect

2018-06-25T13:28:00-04:00

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster has sacked its expert architectural witness after it emerged he was not a registered architect. John Priestley, who was appointed on Wednesday to produce a report into the architectural design of the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, was sacked on Friday. [...] According to the inquiry, before he was instructed, Priestley told officials he was a UK registered and chartered architect.

New findings state Grenfell Tower insulation never passed fire safety test

2018-05-23T14:58:00-04:00

The insulation that burned out of control on Grenfell Tower had never passed the required safety test and should never have been on the building, a BBC investigation has discovered. Panorama understands the manufacturer, Celotex, used extra fire retardant in the product that qualified for the safety certificate. A more flammable version was then sold for public use, the programme believes. Celotex said it is co-operating with the police investigation and inquiry.

Last June the Grenfell Tower fire in London killed 72 people prompting ongoing investigations. It has been found that the RS5000 insulation used in the building's refurbishment gives off toxic fumes containing cyanide when burned. Almost all who perished in the fire were killed by smoke.

The manufacturer Celotex has been accused of misleading marketing, selling their insulation as compatible with other cladding panels and tower block refurbishment—both of which are false. Safety was neglected as the cladding panels and insulation in Grenfell Tower were never tested together. This could result in corporate manslaughter for Celotex.

The same toxic insulation is found to have been used on hundreds of other buildings across England.

Lawsuit over reports on FIU bridge collapse declared confidential

2018-05-03T16:53:00-04:00

Nearly two months after a brand-new South Florida bridge collapsed onto a busy roadway — killing six people — the Florida Department of Transportation is still refusing to release documents that could shed light on the tragic accident. Now, the Miami Herald is taking the state to court. On Wednesday, the Herald filed suit against FDOT in Tallahassee's Leon County Circuit Court to compel the release of emails, meeting minutes and other records relating to the bridge's design and construction.

Just days before the FIU bridge collapsed, cracks had been observed on the structure. A meeting was held by the university and the FDOT the morning of the collapse on whether these cracks were a safety risk. The Miami Herald requested records from that meeting and other documents, which have been deemed confidential by the National Transportation Safety Board.

After deadly balcony collapse, Berkeley building and safety codes tighten

2015-07-17T18:29:00-04:00

Balconies in Berkeley must now pass a safety inspection every three years, and new ones must be built of rot-proof wood or steel, under measures passed Tuesday as the campus community addresses the deaths last month of six young people and grave injury of seven more. [...] With pressure from one council member and the lawyer for one of those killed in the June 16 tragedy, the City Council agreed to shorten the time between mandatory inspections [from five] to three years.

The deadly balcony collapse that took place almost exactly a month ago today prompted an investigation into Berkeley's building codes and safety inspections, culminating in this new inspection practice. Primary in the discussion of safe and best building practices here on Archinect was the use of wood, especially in climates where water can drastically compromise a building's integrity.

We discuss the delicate balancing of liability among city building departments, victims and building owners on episode #36 of Archinect Sessions.

For background on the balcony collapse in Berkeley, California: