RAND’s 4th annual blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross was another success! A total of 17 donors made up of RAND staff and friends stopped by our office’s Central Meeting Space, turned into a blood donation center, last Wednesday…
With this past week’s #GivingTuesday kick off to the charitable season, our RAND Gives Back program is in full swing with several opportunities to make a difference this December. In the spirit of #GivingTuesday, RAND donated $1,000 to Engineers Without…
In September, the NYC Department of Buildings rolled out a new electronic filing system called DOB NOW, which requires building owners and representatives to register with the DOB’s eFiling portal and to file their Facade Inspection Safety Program (Local Law 11/98) reports online.…
Leaks, drafty windows, cracked balconies, loose floorboards, and mold are not things you would expect to see in a newly constructed or newly converted building. Unfortunately, they’re not uncommon in the wake of the country’s building boom over the last…
The terrorist blast that rocked Chelsea on Saturday night and set New Yorkers’ nerves on edge was especially frightening to the residents and workers on West 23rd Street, where the explosion blew out windows and caused other damage to buildings.…
RAND welcomed eight new shareholders and honored all current shareholders last Thursday with a gathering of employees, family, and friends at RAND’s office in Chelsea. As a Design Professional Corporation, RAND Engineering & Architecture, DPC’s corporate structure allows licensed and…
Before I started at RAND as an intern on the Facade & Roofing Team this summer, I had no idea what a FISP was, or for that matter, half of the things an engineering and architecture firm does. I’m glad…
Over the years, various boards of directors at Parkside Assocation, located at 549 41st Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, resolved to replace the leaky roof of the 89-year-old building. But best intentions aside, they managed only temporary fixes and patchwork repairs.…
Last Tuesday evening, RAND hosted one-hundred plus guests for an evening of wine, food, and bowling, at New York’s Frames Bowling Lounge. Although fun was certainly on the menu, the goal of the evening was to support New Alternatives for…
To temporarily escape the grip of an extended heatwave, RAND coworkers, family, and friends fled the steamy city last Saturday for the air-conditioned facilities of Chelsea Piers, Connecticut (yes, you read that correctly—there’s a Chelsea Piers in Connecticut!) for RAND’s…
A moldy basement, leaking roofs, and oatmeal-like mortar are scary things no one should ever encounter in a newly renovated building. Unfortunately for one cooperative in Harlem, a less than stellar gut renovation, which included a new roof, windows, and joist…
In 1866, New York City’s first charity pediatric clinic began as a ship docked in lower Manhattan. It was the start of a series of vessels and barges that took poor immigrant children and their parents away from the unsanitary…
In Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza stand two imposing figures, Victory and Family, 24-foot-tall limestone sculptures flanking a memorial honoring the Brooklynites who lost their lives during the Second World War. Dedicated in 1951, the memorial is one of five WWII tributes…
Financial risk is always associated with construction projects, which often involve significant investment and a high level of coordination of several parties for successful completion. As a measure of financial protection, property owners can purchase performance bonds and labor and materials…
It’s been nearly one year since the 8th Cycle of New York City’s Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP, formerly called Local Law 11/98) began, and buildings with block numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9 (Subcycle 8A) now have one…
One of RAND’s recent projects was supposed to be a routine roofing replacement job, until contractors discovered sand where there should have been concrete. Village House, a 75-unit, 14-story Greenwich Village condominium located at 60 West 13th street and built…
After digging out from last month’s blizzard, there’s no better time than now to think of those in need of a warm coat. As part of our charitable RAND Gives Back program, RAND held its annual winter coat drive in…
When property management firm Midboro Management moved their offices to 333 Seventh Avenue in Chelsea, they turned to RAND to design the build-out and administer the construction for the project. The newly configured 5,000-square-foot space entailed architectural, HVAC, electrical, and lighting…
The Second Avenue Subway project has affected many properties along its path, and a number of owners have had to make permanent alterations to their building systems as a result. Even with the first phase of the new subway line planning…
It started off as a night at the (wax) museum. RAND’s annual holiday party began with a scavenger hunt at Madame Tussauds in Times Square where coworkers, family members, and friends made their way through the museum’s five floors of life-like (some eerily…
Last month, my colleagues from the Buildings and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) and I visited New York City to learn more about the city’s Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP, formerly known as Local Law 11/98) and to keep abreast…
Watch Randy the Snowman making holiday inspections to ensure a safe and happy holiday season for all.
Last week RAND held its third annual blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. For five hours, our Central Meeting Space transformed into a fully operational blood donation center, where we rolled up our sleeves and went to work. This…
Once the various elements of a construction project are in place—the budget and timeline have been approved, the contractor selected, and work permits obtained—the remaining step is for the building owner and the contractor to sign an agreement so the…