Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2007

BY JILL SHEEHY

As Brooklyn leads the city’s building boom, local construction and design trades are hopeful that the recently announced modernization of New York City’s Building Code will help them do their jobs easier and faster.

The changes are the first major overhaul to the code since 1968, and are the culmination of thousands of hours of work by over 400 volunteers for the last five years. And with the city’s population slated to grow by one million in the next two decades, the move comes just in time. 

“The City’s economic development depends on construction codes that achieve a delicate mix of enhanced safety requirements, opportunities for cost savings, and incentives for innovative and sustainable building,” according to Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster.

It is that mix that should result in a more efficient process, which is a welcome change for builders.

Andrew Giancola, owner of Giancola Contracting, a company that develops and builds low-rise, multiple family dwellings, looks forward to seeing a more streamlined DOB.

“I have found it very challenging to navigate through the DOB filing and approval process,” he said. “If the new code can streamline the process and make things faster, easier and predictable for small businesses, that would be great.

The changes address building from a uniquely New York perspective, taking into consideration the unique constraints when building in the City – small lot size, height, and density.

There is also the potential to save money. The new codes are actually on par with national standards, which the Bloomberg administration expects will result in money saved.

“I would be glad to see NYC adopt more national codes,” said Mr. Giancola. “This would allow us to use more readily available materials and, in some cases, less expensive materials. In the long run, this would bring down the cost of construction, which would translate to savings for the end user.”

The national standards also cut out the step of getting City approval for building, speeding up the process.
One other development will see the expansion of DOB’s Web site, making online applications and filing easier to navigate.

In addition, fire safety is also getting revamped, after a rash of incidents where civilians and firefighters were injured or even killed due to the combination of overcrowding and poor construction.

Not surprisingly, there is also a green incentive, linked to the mayor’s recently announced PlaNYC. Builders will get rebates for implementing green design in the form of water conservation, energy efficiency, and the development of brownfield sites.

Mr. Giancola’s firm first built Energy Star labeled homes three years ago, one of the first firms in Brooklyn to do so.

“We build Energy Star for philosophical reasons. Second, as a bonus, it's a marketing differentiator.”

“We are developing innovative buildings that integrate all forms of new technology. This includes the newest, most efficient equipment on the market, solar panels, sustainable materials, recycled materials, not to mention high design, which is absolutely critical to the buyer.

Mr. Giancola, who is set to be feted at this year’s Building Brooklyn Awards, to be held on July 18 at Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has another building in the works, adjacent to his award-winning 270 21st St. in Greenwood Heights. The new building is set to be built using all new code.