The city can be a tough place to navigate even for the most able-bodied New Yorkers. For the elderly, those with disabilities, or anyone whose mobility has been compromised by illness or injury—even temporarily—getting into their own b…
New York City is a beautiful place, but let’s face facts—it gets pretty dirty. All the fumes from countless trucks and cars letting off exhaust leave a layer of grim on buildings so thick that in many cases, it’s impossible to know jus…
In a city that is made for walking, few stop to pause and look beneath their feet at the sidewalks that lead them uptown, downtown and crosstown. But these sidewalks—all 12,000 miles of them—form the arteries at the heart of New York. …
In a city known for its tall buildings, two kinds of structures loom almost as large as the buildings themselves—construction sheds (normally called a sidewalk shed) and scaffolds. Everyone has seen these familiar blue plywood platform…
Sooner or later, your building will probably have to undergo an exterior maintenance, renovation or repair project—especially since Local Law 11 was passed in 1998, mandating periodic inspections of exterior walls of any building more …
Major exterior repairs and construction projects are serious business, otherwise they wouldn't be called "major." Too often, though, people tend to hire experienced architects and professional contractors only when they absolutely need to,…
New York City is home to some of the world's best architectureboth ultra-modern and historical. And while newer buildings show off sleek glass-and-steel facades, the hallmark of many of the city's historic buildings is their stonework. Take…
New York City's skyline wouldn't be the same without its rooftop water tanks. The strange-looking structures have graced the cityscape for more than a century, and today, surrounded as many of them are by towering glass skyscrapers, they se…
When someone describes a beautiful building in the city, in all likelihood, they are describing the building's façade—that thin, skin-like layer of brick, mortar and/or decorative stone such as limestone that covers and dresses up the ra…
Every five years, the boards of co-ops and condominiums are forced by law to consider how to execute repairs to their exterior facades. Unless there is a known dangerous condition, not too many buildings consider the issue well in advance …