‘Tis the season to be giving, and this year as part of our RAND Gives Back program, goodwill ambassador Randy the Snowman is donating toys to our friends at New Alternatives for Children, a non-profit organization that serves youths with…
Building owners who have retaining walls on their property typically don’t give them much thought. Unlike the facades of their building, retaining walls are often out of sight, out of mind. But if not regularly inspected and maintained, these walls…
One of the advantages of working for the interesting clients RAND serves is the opportunity to partake in worthwhile events—especially those with glitz and glamor! Such was the case two weeks ago when RAND’s Architectural Design team attended the China…
With the hurricane season upon us and the first anniversary Super Storm Sandy approaching, many buildings in the New York City area are gearing up for another season of severe weather. To prepare for a sudden—and possibly extended—loss of power…
Question: What do Microsoft, Zappos, Jamba Juice, Under Armour, Pandora, and RAND Engineering & Architecture, DPC all have in common? Answer: All have made the Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. While RAND can’t…
As I was finishing my sophomore year this spring at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, I decided it was time to get my first internship. Being a manager at a Rita’s Italian Ice just wasn’t cutting it, and I was ready for…
After nearly 14 wonderful years at RAND, I have left my regular full-time role of Senior Project Associate to take on a new position pursuing an old passion—teaching masonry preservation at a newly established high school. Before I tell you…
Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of speaking to a class of fifth-grade students at P.S. 9 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan about the benefits and beauty of green roofs. My RAND colleague, Project Associate Tom Russack,…
After graduating from Richmond Hill High School this spring, I was ready for a new start, a new environment, and new experiences this fall as I prepare for New York City College of Technology. Most high school grads no doubt…
A one-two punch to a building led to three times the charm for its chillers. At 135 Montgomery Street, a 21-story residential co-op along the waterfront in Jersey City, the last two major storms have tested the resolve of its…
Two weekends ago RAND coworkers, family, and friends got together for our annual summer outing, and the setting this year was both stunning and stately. Only 25 miles from Midtown Manhattan but far removed from the hurried pace of the…
After completing my second year at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering, I was ready for a break. It was finally summer—that time of the year when students relax, take a break from the learning and the problem solving,…
One reason I became an architect was to make a positive impact in my community. My current RAND assignment at the historic Rutgers Presbyterian Church, on West 73rd Street near Broadway, only a block from my home, presents an opportunity—and…
Last Tuesday night after work six coworkers and I joined forces for our first foray in the Corporate Bowling Showdown at Frames, a bowling alley and lounge on the corner of 9th Avenue and 40th Street in Manhattan. With our…
On Monday night limbs went flying in our 11th-floor multipurpose space as a group of us participated in RAND’s first kick boxing class. Under trainer Bryan Ruck’s high-energy instruction, we jabbed, hooked, elbowed, and roundhoused our way through an intense…
The official start of summer is always a great day for me, and sharing it with this cutie made it even better! Last Friday RAND participated in our first “Take Your Dog to Work Day,”an annual event now in its…
I’ve always wished I were more athletic. Sure, I played some kiddie soccer and even did a stint on the crew team in my freshman year at college, but I’ve always struggled to get myself off the couch. Seeing people…
The breeze is warm, the sky is blue, and the grass is green. It’s time for RAND’s annual run in the park! RAND is looking forward to participating in the 37th annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge next Thursday, June 13,…
In 2013 Hurricane Sandy ravaged the New York City area, and the storm taught us important lessons about disaster recovery—and disaster preparation. I’d like to share some of my experiences working with several hard-hit buildings in the immediate aftermath of…
As mandated by New York City Building Code, the Department of Buildings requires buildings with unsafe exterior conditions to protect people from falling masonry and debris. That protection is typically a sidewalk shed. As previously discussed by RAND, sidewalk sheds…
If your building has undertaken repair or upgrade work, your engineer or architect may have informed you that “Special Inspections” are required on the project. Many building owners and managers have been asking what these inspections are, and why are…
Beauty, they say, is more than skin deep. At 33 Fifth Avenue, a luxury co-op in Greenwich Village, the board had to go more than skin deep to restore the beauty of their building and make it watertight. Time had…
According to the Department of Buildings, there are more than 8,500 sidewalk sheds and scaffolds throughout New York City. If an article in Sunday’s New York Post is any indication, there are also at least that many gripes about them.…
Planning for a rainy day—and the leaks that follow—is a common concern for many co-op and condo boards. Owners and managers know they need to prepare for short-term contingencies and longer-term repairs and upgrades, but the inevitable question is: How…