As both a writer about and resident of high-rise residential buildings, I followed the June 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium with a hawk’s eye. I read about the people who perished and the loved ones left to carry on;…
For many, birds are a particularly contentious class of animal. Some people are extremely fond of them—admiring their colorful plumage, their melodic calls, or their enviable ability to soar effortlessly above whatever mess we have going on…
In the eight months since the deadly collapse at Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, many states and municipalities are reviewing their policies around reserve funds, inspections, and maintenance projects for high rise apartment bu…
Following the tragic partial collapse of Champlain Tower South in Surfside, Florida in June 2021, the Community Associations Institute (CAI) convened a trio of task forces to explore laws and best practices for the community association…
Building lobbies and hallways are high-traffic areas, prone to tracked-in dirt and street grime, scuffs from shoes, luggage, and equipment, slush and salt in the winter, and in dog-friendly buildings, the occasional indiscretion committed b…
As a direct response to the tragic Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in South Florida this past summer that killed nearly 100 people, Jersey City’s City Council recently passed an ordinance requiring regular facade and struc…
The global condo and high-rise apartment community has been reeling since the catastrophic collapse of a part of the Champlain Towers building in Surfside, Florida, in June 2021. Officials and professionals from all over the world have been…
Exterior maintenance and repair are some of the most extensive—and expensive—work that a condo, HOA, or co-op will undertake; they’re also unavoidable. So when planning such projects, two important factors should be considered: The first is…
Cities reshape and reinvent themselves regularly and organically. Old buildings become obsolete for a variety of reasons, and new buildings replace them. Many a four- or five-story tenement has been knocked down to make way for a shiny, new…
Leaks are a common problem in multifamily buildings, including co-ops and condominiums. It’s not unusual to see watermarks and dampness on plaster near or below interior widows, but since such infiltration usually stems from an issue on the…