As the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression—which is why the façade of your building should always look clean and in top shape, for both aesthetic and commercial reasons. Important as appearances are, however,…
In early 2020, our firm was hired to prepare a reserve study for an unremarkable 136-unit, 12-story condominium in south Florida. It was the kind of association you could drive right by without noticing, not much different from all the othe…
When the mercury hits 95, the last thing most people have on their mind is a major snowstorm, and how it might affect their building’s entry vestibule, lobby, and other high-traffic common areas. Be as that may, summer is actually the time …
It’s that time of year again. Birds are chirping; trees are blooming; property managers and co-op and condo boards are addressing their task lists for the change of seasons. Whether it’s a Wrigleyville walk-up or a Streeterville supertall, …
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…
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;…
The recent flash flooding resulting from Hurricane Ida and other torrential summer storms around the nation has come as something of a wake-up call for homeowners and local governments alike. The real-world effects of climate change are upo…
After the devastating and deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers condo in Surfside, Florida, high-rise dwellers throughout the country are wondering how their cities’ building and inspection codes will prevent such a tragedy where they liv…
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…
Whether in a single-family home or an apartment building, every homeowner has experienced that moment: he or she turns on the kitchen light in the middle of the night to see a huge water bug scurry across the counter, or hear the sound of t…