The amount of information an owner, agent, or engineer/architect may need to know about a building can be extensive. Fortunately a number of websites and online databases makes it much easier to find property data than it was just a few…
New York City has nearly one million buildings (975,000 by the DOB’s count), many of them prewar constructions with historic features that require regular maintenance and repair to guard against the ravages of time and weather. Yet for New York…
Rand was recently hired to oversee an exterior restoration and roof replacement program at 901 Broadway, which the New York Observer called “one of the most architecturally unique buildings still standing in Manhattan.” Built in 1870, the five-story building—the first…
Crain’s New York Business recently announced its top 50 Best Places to Work in New York City, and as the President of Rand, I’m happy to say we came in at number 11. We’ve made the list four years in…
Before you and your building settle in for a long winter’s nap, be sure you’ve submitted your property’s benchmarking report. Quick refresher: Under New York City’s Local Law 84/09, owners of properties larger than 50,000 square feet are required to…
I recently had the pleasure of visiting a fifth-grade class at the Bloomingdale School (P.S. 145) on West 105th Street in Manhattan and talking to the students about what it’s like to be a “real life architect.” The students participate…
As the wife of Rand’s president, I have been around building construction in New York City for more than 25 years and appreciate the energy and vitality of urban revitalization. So when our new neighbors decided to gut renovate the dilapidated…
With the recent storms and heavy rains, my Rand coworkers and I have been extra busy conducting leakage evaluations. To assist us in our investigations, we’ve been incorporating infrared technology. An infrared camera has a sensor that detects temperature differences…
One of the things I love about my job as a project associate is seeing interesting architectural details up close. While recently conducting a 7th Cycle Local Law 11/98 facade inspection at 56 East 87th Street on the Upper East…
Prewar buildings have charm, elegance, and gracious space, whereas new construction is sleek and sophisticated and features lots of amenities. So what can be said about those postwar white glazed-brick buildings with their distinctive wedding cake shape? Bland on the…
Last Sunday a group of my Rand coworkers and I met at Church Avenue in Brooklyn for a walking tour of the Prospect Park South Historic District. It was the second walking tour that we’ve done as a group (the…