To Work at Different Scales is the Architect's Wisdom: Ricardo Bofill Interviewed for the Time Space Existence Video Series

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In their recent interview for the Time Space Existence video series, Plane-Site, through the support from the European Cultural Centre, interviewed Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. The series will be exhibited in the biennial exhibition in Venice, opening May 21-22, 2020.

Bofill was born in 1939 and is known as one of the worlds most renowned and controversial architects. He began his studies at the University of Barcelona and later continued his studies at Universit de Beaux-Arts Genve in Switzerland in 1958. After completing his studies he started his own studio referred to as Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, where he explored Catalan Modernism through poetry, history and vernacular Catalan design.

The interview was filmed at one of Bofills most significant projects named La Fbrica, which acts as both his home and studio. The project which was refurbished from an old cement factory, has remained Bofills studio and home for almost four decades. The project forms the basis to Bofills sense of diversity and extensiveness throughout his architecture.

The interview is shaped around three main categories referred to as the practice of scale, the pleasure of space and confronting time. Bofill states that the important part about architecture is the capacity for generosity (Bofill). As you develop as an architect and become stronger with your ability to design one has more capacity to give to others. During the interview, Bofill also discusses the importance of understanding scale whether it is small or large. He believes it is important to be able to jump from different project scales without it becoming a reproduction and or duplication. We strive as architects for creativity and Bofill states that everyone knows creativity runs out (Bofill) and for him the challenge is to try and always continue creating.

The advice Bofill gives all young architects is to work at different scales is the architects wisdom (Bofill) and by understanding scale we begin to understand how to design, which ultimately allows us to make these spaces dominate and make it human (Bofill). When we begin to understand scale and movement within our designs we start to have a better understanding of space.

Credits

Ricardo Bofill:Interview content and photographs credited toRicardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura.

PLANE-SITE: Interview series Time Space Existence. plane-site.com/projects/time-space-existence/

European Cultural Centre: This interview series is made possible with the support of the European Cultural Centre. europeanculturalcentre.eu

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To Work at Different Scales is the Architect's Wisdom: Ricardo Bofill Interviewed for the Time Space Existence Video Series - ArchDaily

Sandy Rendel elegantly converts a barn into a simple house in the British countryside

A derelictbarn with acorrugated iron roofin West Sussex, UK, has been converted into acomfortable, yet notover domesticatedhouse bySandy Rendel Architects and is surrounded by gardens designed by Piet Oudolf

This elegant re-imagining of a former working barn finds new freedoms within a simple industrial framework. The architect Sandy Rendel has garnered plenty of experience of working within the planning constraints and social eccentricities that shape the modern English landscape, following up lengthy stints at the studios of both James Gorst and Tony Fretton before setting up his own office in 2010.In 2016, the studios South Street house in Lewes, perched on the edge of the South Downs, won anRIBA award and was shortlisted for the Manser Medal for best completed house in the UK.

This new project sits amidst existing gardens in West Sussex, a well-loved and much visited horticultural destination.The original structure was a derelict Dutch barn, a familiar rural form with open sides and a corrugated iron roof that no longer served a functional purpose on the site. Rendel and his team had to play a canny game with the planning authorities, invoking a clause that allowed the conversion of disused agricultural buildings into dwellings.

It was an exercise in trying to ensure the raw form and character of the original barn was maintained and not over domesticated, Rendel explains, with the key challenge being to preserve these qualities whilst also making a well-insulated, comfortable and spacious place in which to live.

The surrounding gardens have been developed over the past decade by the clients in close collaboration with the Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf.The converted barn adjoins them and certainly retains an agricultural form, with a ribbed zinc clad facade and the characteristic curved roof. Whether its rising above the planting or looming over the approach road at the edge of the site it appears for all the world like part of a farmyard. From inside the house, the emphasis is very different with glazing arranged to make the most of the very seasonally planted garden. In the summer, the landscape changes considerably and full height frameless windows frame verdant views from every angle.

The apparently effortless simplicity of the exterior was hard-won, not least the planning requirement of retaining the character of the original barn. The architects and the fabricators agonised over every aspect of the detail design to give the joints and corners a flawless yet still industrial quality. We studied the ad-hoc compositions of un-designed and regularly repaired agricultural structures, Rendel says, we also looked closely at the industrial photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher. The end result is asymmetrical and honest, responding to its site and the brief with characteristic restraint.

The barns internal plans are inverted, with bedrooms on the ground floor and an open plan first floor to make the most of far-reaching views across the garden to the Souths Downs. Dark joinery, wooden floors and red and turquoise shelving units are paired with the dark red steel of the industrial-sized roof joists. The studio is planning to add a cylindrical viewing tower on the site, in a style that evokes a typical grain silo, to create a viewing platform for the garden and continue building in the pared back agricultural tradition.

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Sandy Rendel elegantly converts a barn into a simple house in the British countryside - Wallpaper*

Listing of the Day

Location: Spitalfields, London

Price: 4.75 million (US$6.24 million)

This Georgian-era house in East London has been transformed into a live/work home by its owner, the architect Chris Dyson, who has lived in it with his family since 2006.

Mr. Dyson has restored and extended the 18th-century home, creating a multi-layered, old-meets-new home, with office space on the ground floor and accommodation on the top three floors. A contemporary gallery space built for Mr. Dysons architecture practice sits to its rear, and a new top floor comprising two terraces and a kitchen has been added to it, according to the listing agency handling the sale, The Modern House.

When Mr. Dyson and his wife bought the townhouse more than 20 years ago, it needed restoration. It had elegant, well-proportioned rooms with high ceilings and large sash windows, but its facade had been altered considerably from its original design and much of its original wooden paneling had been lost, Mr. Dyson said in an interview with The Modern House estate agency

More: A Malibu-Style Modern Home Lists in Englands Buckinghamshire

The Grade II-listed former clergymans house was built in 1719 by a group of French silk-weavers known as the Huguenots, according to the property listing details, and is part of a terrace of houses in the Brick Lane and Fournier Street conservation area that are characterized by their tall brick facades and sash windows.

Mr. Dyson had worked 30 odd houses on Princelet Street and built up an "encyclopaedic knowledge" of the buildings, which helped him create a successful renovation project in his own home. "You cant bring in the big machines to bish-bash-bosh something together You have to take your time and really listen to what the building has to offer," he said in the same Modern House interview.

The traditional shop-style front was rebuilt and given new windows, which restored its original Georgian look. A new floor could be added because, although most Huguenot houses feature high-ceilinged lofts to allow for their looms, this property didnt require one because it was built for a clergyman. Heritage paint colors and new paneling were added, emphasizing its period feel inside, Mr. Dyson said.

"It is an excellent example of great restorative work alongside contemporary flare. Georgian proportions translate beautifully for modern living, and the live-work element, the scale and the volume of the gallery space, raise it an echelon in both versatility and aesthetic," said listing agent Corey Hemingway.

More: A Modern Home in Cambridgeshire Asks 1.4 Million

Stats

The 4,000-square-foot home features a ground floor with two office rooms, which lead out to a glass-covered raised walkway above a lower-ground floor terrace, and beyond it, a double-story studio/gallery space.

The lower ground-floor is formed of a self-contained one-bedroom flat.

The first, second and third floors include three bedrooms, a bathroom, a water closet, a drawing room and a kitchen opening onto a terrace, which is covered in a glass roof.

Amenities

The studio/gallery building is a huge space, with a vaulted ceiling, kitchen and bathroom.

From Penta: Worlds Largest Private Collection of Whisky Could Fetch 8 Million at Auction

Neighborhood Notes

Princelet Street is in the neighborhood of Spitalfields, a historic and arty neighborhood in the East End of London. It includes Old Spitalfields Market, a covered market established in the 17th century.

It sits just off Brick Lane, a street is known for its youthful feel, hip boutique shops, bars and restaurants.

Agent: Corey Hemingway, The Modern House

View the original listing. Write toListing of the Day

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A Live-Work Space Designed by an Architect in East London - Mansion Global

In the final days of World War II, as the Red Army advanced on Berlin and the Third Reich teetered on the edge of total military collapse, Adolf Hitler famously shot himself in his bunker. A wave of suicides would followhigh-ranking Nazi officials such as Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Philipp Bouhler, and Martin Bormann killed themselves before being captured by Allied forces. Many war criminals, however, managed to escape. As many as 9,000 Nazi officers and collaborators found refuge in South America; the majority fled to Argentina, which had maintained a close relationship with Nazi Germany.

Among those who evaded capture was Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi SS lieutenant colonel who masterminded the identification, assembly, and transportation of European Jews to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. After the fall of the Third Reich, Eichmann, who had come to be known as the architect of the Nazi genocide, was apprehended, but escaped from a detention camp and went into hiding in Austria. An Austrian-born bishop, Alois Hudal, helped Eichmann obtain falsified identity documents issued by the Vatican, enabling him to get an Argentine visa and an International Red Cross passport. (Hudal eventually admitted to abetting Nazi war criminals.) In the years following the war, Argentine President Juan Pern, a longtime admirer of Hitlers and other fascist regimes, had established a network of so-called ratlinesescape routesthrough ports in Spain and Italy to smuggle thousands of former SS officers and Nazi Party members out of Europe.

As the Nuremberg Trials brought Nazi war criminals to justice in 1945 and 1946, Eichmann lay in wait. In 1950, a fugitive who had assumed the alias of Richard Klement boarded a steamship to Buenos Aires. He would establish a middle-class lifestyle in the suburbs of the city with his wife and children, working at a Mercedes-Benz factory.

The thrilling story of how it all came crashing down is told in Randall Christophers new animated documentary, The Driver Is Red. A Holocaust survivor who was living in Buenos Aires became suspicious about his daughters new boyfriend and his family. Armed with surreptitious photographs of Klement, the father alerted Israeli intelligence, and Eichmanns identity was confirmed beyond reasonable doubt. Mossad Special Agent Zvi Aharoni was sent to Buenos Aires to orchestrate an illegal surveillance and abduction scheme, Operation Finale. Eichmann was apprehended in 1960 and smuggled to Israel, where he would finally face justice. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and was executed in Jerusalem in 1962.

Christophers film noirinspired animation depicts the dramatic story of Eichmanns capture. The actor Mark Pinter, reading from Aharonis book about the historic Nazi manhunt, lends the late Aharonis voice. The first words Adolf Eichmann uttered to me were, I have already resigned myself to my fate, wrote Aharoni, a German-born Jew who escaped with his mother and brother on one of the last trains out of Germany before World War II.

Christopher told me he made the film because he grew up largely ignorant of the Holocaust. This is an alarming trend. A recent survey found that 22 percent of Millennials admitted to not having heard of the Holocaust, while 41 percent of Americans and 66 percent of Millennials said they don't know about Auschwitz.

In my opinion, we simply must make a deliberate, dedicated effort to know the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaustthe most catastrophic event in human history, Christopher said. The filmmaker believes it is especially important to study Weimar Germany, because these events sprang from a democratic society with values and culture not much different from what we have today in the West.

People simply didnt recognize that certain decisions and policiesthough maybe not so terrible in themselvesopen the door for more dangerous scenarios, Christopher continued. Nobody was voting for World War II when they voted for Hitler. But in voting for Hitler to do things like get rid of the communists and to bypass a dysfunctional Parliament, they also voted in favor of a situation where World War II and the Holocaust would be a possibility.

Christopher believes that if the U.S. Congress remains dysfunctional and unable to work together, this might pave the way for a similar autocratic leadersomething once considered unthinkable in America.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

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Capturing the Architect of the Holocaust - The Atlantic

Charlestown, MA Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the architects of the Green New Deal, today announced that she is endorsing Elizabeth Warrens campaign for President of the United States.

As one of the key architects of the Green New Deal, Rhiana knows intimately what it will take to defeat the climate crisis,said Elizabeth Warren.She knows how critical it is that we elect a president who recognizes the urgent need for a Green New Deal and who will lead our country toward a clean energy future, while creating millions of good, new jobs and putting environmental justice at the center of our approach. Im grateful to have her support and to stand with her in this fight for big, structural change.

In avideoreleased today, Gunn-Wright stated,The worst part about the climate crisis is that its by design. We know that the odds are stacked in favor of folks who have money. The folks who feel climate change most keenly are by and large low-income people of color. Elizabeth Warren understands that and understands that that is part of the problem that we have to tackle.

She continued:There is no dealing with climate change unless we deal with corruption. Every time I read a Warren climate plan, I am confident that it can take us to a Green New Deal because I see her thinking about: How do we use all of the levers of government?

Watch the full videohere.

Read more about it in Huffposthere. Key sections below.

The Massachusetts senator picked up an endorsement from a key figure in the Green New Deal movement just before the debate in Los Angeles.

Democratic presidential candidateElizabeth Warrenhas already proposed a suite of policy ideas to dramatically slash planet-heating emissions and transition workers into clean industries.

Last week, Warren unveiled her Blue New Deal, the first comprehensive campaign proposal to revitalize coastal economies by fortifying ports, spurring new markets for seafood and completely overhauling the offshore energy industry. On Wednesday, she published an op-ed outlining how shed target fossil fuel companies and reverse President Donald Trumps assault on environmental regulations during her first 100 days in the White House.

The New Hampshire Labor News is a group of NH Workers who believe that we need to protect ourselves against the attacks on workers. We are proud union members who are working to preserve the middle class. The NHLN talks mostly about news and politics from NH. We also talk about national issues that effect working men and women here in the Granite State.

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Rhiana Gunn-Wright, One of the Policy Architects of the Green New Deal, Endorses Elizabeth Warren - nhlabornews.com

Far too many retaining wall projects start with this simple step: homeowners see a clearance sale on retaining wall blocks, make an educated guess how many they need, and have the big box store deliver them. Once the pallets of block are stacked in the yard, they set aside a weekend or two, recruit some friends or family, and undertake a construction project.

We can easily understand do-it-yourself energy (we call it the energy of the innocent) because weve gotten over our heads in home improvement projects many times, when we should have reached out for expert assistance. By the time the project is finally finished, weve made enough mistakes to learn how to do it right the next time. As were fond of saying, anything worth doing is worth doing twice.

Building decorative garden walls is very satisfying and rewarding, as well as being good exercise. When the purpose of the wall is more functional, its important to add an engineering step before starting the project. Retaining walls for purposes like holding back hills, supporting paving or buildings, and controlling runoff are serious projects with long-term consequences, so learning by doing isnt always a good idea.

As a certified hardscape contractor, we often get called after the fact when structural retaining walls fail for one reason or another. This is never a pleasant experience for us or the homeowner. Its vastly more expensive and time-consuming to fix a poorly-installed retaining wall that to install it in the first place. Usually the cause of the wall failure is designed-in and the only solution is to remove it and start over.

In previous columns weve offered retaining wall tips. Heres a brief summary of the basic principles weve already talked about:

Hardscapes should never be built on fill, or on ground that stays wet because of improper drainage. The center of gravity of a retaining wall should be BEHIND the wall foundation, or footer. The taller the wall, the more it should start below ground. The heavier the wall, the more substantial the footer needs to be. There needs to be a way for water to freely escape from the footer trench, and from behind the wall, by gravity. Backfill behind the wall should be clean crushed (not round) stone.

Walls should be tied back into the hill, so that the weight of the backfill prevents the wall from moving. Geotextiles are a typical method; there should be a layer of geogrid back into the hill every two courses on taller walls. Water runoff behind the wall should never be allowed to run into the backfill behind the wall. Curved walls, or walls with multiple corners, are vastly stronger than long straight walls.

Understanding these basics is a good start, but there are many more tips and tricks that come with training and experience. Every wall situation is different, and there are many different types of segmental wall systems, each with cost-benefit tradeoffs. We want you to succeed with every home improvement project you dream about. Its important to know your own limitations before you begin.

Steve Boehme is a landscape designer/installer specializing in landscape makeovers. Lets Grow is published weekly; column archives are on the Garden Advice page at http://www.goodseedfarm.com. For more information is available at http://www.goodseedfarm.com or call GoodSeed Farm Landscapes at (937) 587-7021.

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Retaining walls that last - Record Herald

Retaining walls near Highland Park are not in critical need of replacing but will need to be changed in the coming years. The walls and options for handling them were discussed during last Mondays City Council meeting.

We received a call from a homeowner and have had some discussions with the Highland Park Association on some of the failing walls, said Derek Gajdos, Grand Haven Department of Public Works director.

Gajdos noted an issue with the failing walls is not knowing who owns them - as some are on private property and others are in the road right-of-way, who will pay for the replacement and who will continue to maintain the walls into the future.

The estimated price for the repairs is $300,000, Gadjos said.

Its a significant cost, he said. My question for council is where are we heading with that?

One option could be to split the costs 50/50 between the city and homeowners, similar to what is being done on Lake Avenue, while another option discussed during the meeting was to split the $300,000 three ways.

Members of the Highland Park Association, Bill Van Lopik and Bob Minnema, current and past president respectively, used the example of a retaining wall fixed near Minnemas home.

When the wall needed to be repaired, the bill was split evenly between the city, Minnema and another homeowner to the west and residents in the area.

Van Lopik and Minnema said they could bring the proposal of splitting the bill three ways - between the city, the homeowners nearest the walls and the association - to their annual association meeting in July.

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Discussion begins on fix for Highland Park retaining walls - Grand Haven Tribune

O'FALLON, Mo. An O'Fallon, Missouri mother told the 5 On Your Side I-Team she's just trying to keep her young daughter who has autism safe on her own property.

So why is the city of O'Fallon taking her to court?

Even under her mother's watchful eye, Leera Brown, 4, is hard to keep up with. The little girl has a seemingly endless amount of energy, according to her mom Ariel Brown. But she also has some limitations as well.

"She's autistic and she has balance and coordination issues. She will literally trip on air," said Brown.

That coordination issue, says Brown, has led to her falling off the family's 4-foot brick retaining wall in the past.

That's why her mom said she began looking into safer alternatives to replace the brick wall. After doing some research, she created a retaining wall made of recycled tires. Each tire was painted, and plants and landscaping were installed in and around the display.

"Most people don't believe me that it's tires. They have no clue. So i put a lot of work into trying to make it look nice," said Brown.

The wall has some admirers, but the city of O'Fallon is not one of them.

"Just because you have good intentions, does not give you permission to violate city law. It does come down to that," said Tom Drabelle, a spokesperson for the city of O'Fallon. "It was also brought to us by her neighbors. It wasn't something we went out looking for."

The use of old tires is against several city codes.

Drabelle points to one specifically under prohibited 'Nuisances', which states, "Any accumulation, deposit or outside storage or any vehicular or equipment parts, inoperable appliances and other equipment, junk or material of any nature where said accumulation, deposit or outside storage may constitute an attractive nuisance danger to children, provide a breeding or nesting area for vermin, rodents and other animals, or collect stagnant water."

"The use of old tires as a design element... It's a health risk to the community. The second thing is, it's also a fire risk," said Drabelle.

Brown argues the tires aren't collecting water, and aren't inviting vermin since they have plants and soil in them.

The city wants the wall taken down. Later this week, a judge will decide on the fate of the wall.

Brown said the wall has already proven to be effective in its purpose.

"[Leera] ended up tumbling down this but only had a couple minor scratches. If it had been the regular retaining wall, we would've been lucky to just be in the hospital," said Brown."When it comes to my daughter's safety. I will fight to the end for it."

If the judge rules in the city's favor, the family will be responsible for taking down the wall. If they refuse, the city could do it for them and send them a bill. The family will also be fined for the citation.

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O'Fallon, Missouri fights to remove tire retaining wall for child with autism - KSDK.com

729 Seventh Avenue, at the southeast corner of 49th Street and 7th Avenue mear Times Square in Manhattan, as photographed in March 2018.

The building that fatally dropped a hunk of faade on a Manhattan woman last week is just one of thousands citywide with open violations and some of the longest-offending buildings have no scaffolding to protect unsuspecting passersby, the New York Post says it has learned.

Some of those violations including one against a crumbling Bronx building looming over a daycare playground are more than a decade old, a review of city records found.

Of more than 5,300 open citations citywide against buildings for failing to maintain safe exterior walls under NYC Admin Code 28-302.1, the Post has identified the 10 addresses with the longest-standing open infractions that also lack protective sidewalk sheds.

Among the offenders is the five-story building at 333 150th St. in the Bronx, which abuts the Brightside Academy daycare centers playground and has open violations dating to 2008 for a rear retaining wall that collapsed in 2004 and at one point blocked the buildings rear entrance for years.

Today, the buildings faade is visibly damaged, with cracks on the molding surrounding the building a source of concern for parents from the neighboring child care site.

Thats scary, said mom Keila Ocasio, 30, who was dropping off her 3-year-old twins at Brightside on Thursday. We walk down this street with our kids all the time. It could be anybody.

Architect Erica Tishman was killed Tuesday after a chunk of facade dropped off 729 Seventh Ave. in Manhattan.

The structure had damaged terra cotta at areas above 15th floor in several locations which poses a falling hazard for pedestrians, the city Department of Buildings found when the owners were issued a violation in April for failure to maintain exterior building facade in a safe manner.

Meanwhile, the 150th Street building in the Bronx still has 13 open violations including one for the same code under which 729 Seventh Ave. was cited.

While its owners paid the $5,000 fine associated, there is no indication they fixed the underlying issue, city records show.

And its not the only property in the city with longstanding, unresolved violations under the same section of law.

A six-story building at 207 Clinton St. in Manhattan has a 2008 facade violation for corroded soffit/facia at top of bldg and cornice at 5th floor is separating from exterior wall.

I think its terrible that they got a complaint in 2008 and they havent done anything about it, said neighbor Orlando Perez, 62. Obviously the laws sanctioning the landlords are too lenient. They probably figured its worth leaving it like that than spending money to fix it.

A property at 14-18 Boerum St. in Brooklyn has racked up so many violations and nearly $30,000 in unpaid fines that one neighbor said the owners dont do work, they just make holes.

The owners were cited under 28-302.1 in 2015 for missing bricks on the fifth floor, broken awnings on two other floors, and a 7th floor balcony crack, the records show.

Other properties identified by the New York Post with long-open facade violations under Admin Code 28-302.1 are:

A seven-story mixed-use building at 1627 Amsterdam Ave. hit with a violation in 2011 for failing to maintain an exterior decorative cornice and for severly [sic] corroded tin.

An apartment building at 254 Seaman Ave. in Inwood cited in 2013 for cracks, deteriorating and displacement in parapet facade, and flower pots stored on facade ledge.

The Church of Saint Michael at 424 W. 34th St. in Manhattan, issued a violation for missing asphalt roof shingles and cracked cement stucco in 2014.

A mixed-use building at 201 W. 145th St. dinged in 2014 for the deteriorating condition in parapet, and cracking throughout the buildings exterior.

Public School 130 at 151 E. 5th St. in Brooklyn, cited in 2015 for exterior brick facade (that) has become porous allowing water to penetrate into bldg.

PS 58 at 455-459 E. 176th St. in the Bronx, which was ticketed in 2015 for exterior walls that have become porous allowing water to penetrate and water leaking from facade.

An eight-story apartment building at 1670 174th St. in the Bronx slapped with a violation in 2013 for spalling on balcony slabs.

In a statement Sunday, Department of Buildings spokesman Andrew Rudansky said the agency swept over more than 1,300 facades that require repairs to make sure each had appropriate pedestrian protections in place after Tishmans death.

In cases where we found property owners had inadequate pedestrian protections, we are issuing enforcement actions, including orders to put up sidewalk sheds, he said.

The owners of several buildings identified by the Post did not return calls seeking comment. Others maintained work had been done and claimed the violations were still open because they failed to file the paperwork certifying the repairs had been made.

The owner of 333 150th St., Earl Bailey, insisted the issue was fixed at least three years ago.

At Brooklyns PS 130, facade and masonry work was completed but has yet to undergo a final inspection, schools spokesman Kevin Ortiz said adding that work to repair PS 58 will be taken care of by a full-scale masonry project that has not begun.

The owners of 1627-1635 Amsterdam Ave. said in a statement that they contracted to fix the chimney cap and that a sidewalk shed would go up Monday.

In other cases, physical work has long been completed, though as a landmarked building, there can be delays before the paperwork is registered by the city, the statement said.

Despite the city records regarding chimney and brickwork violations at the Church of Saint Michael, a man identifying himself as the pastor claimed the citations were for plumbing and electrical issues, not the facade.

Thats all been fixed, yes, he said. It was plumbing and electrical.

An official at one building had a different take, saying the violations there were fake.

There are no violations, basically, said Miriam Chan of Ymm Realty LLC, which owns 207 Clinton St. in Manhattan. Those violations are fake violations.

So many people, so many people live in the building, she said. They dont pay. Whenever the company asks them to pay they call 311, they create all kinds of information, fake information.

But, she said, the company already engaged a structural engineer to take care of the problem.

Additional reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya, Kevin Sheehan and Olivia Bensimon.

This report also appears at NYPost.com.

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Thousands of New York buildings may pose same risk as the one whose damaged faade killed architect last week - MarketWatch

Belgiums iconic Christmas series or Kerstperiode kicked off this weekend with Waaslandcross in Sint-Niklaas and with the infamous Namur World Cup on Sunday.

The two races could not have been more different. Waaslandcross featured fast, dry and sandy conditions, while Namur was one of the heaviest and most challenging courses of the year.

The womens race at Waaslandcross was highlighted by a battle between world champion Sanne Cant and the young BNS Technics - Concrete House rider Aniek van Alphen. Van Alphen has made a name for herself this season by being one of the few riders in the elite womens field opting to bunnyhop the barriers.

Van Alphen used these skills to great effect in Sint-Niklaas, attacking Cant by hopping over a retaining wall into the final sand section. Cant however proved to be the strongest on the finishing stretch.

Waaslandcross is Cants first victory since February. The competition was understated in anticipation of Sundays world cup, but this victory is nonetheless a promising sign for Cant as she builds towards a fourth world championship title defense.

The world cup in Namur was quintessential cyclocross. It was cold. It was wet. It was muddy, and it was perilously challenging. The mens race featured a battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Toon Aerts that kept viewers on the edge of their seats until the final moments of the race.

Van der Poel was not on unbeatable form in Namur, and thanks to poorly timed punctures and minor errors, it looked quite likely at multiple points during the race that the world champion would in fact be beaten.

While Aerts appeared to have a slight upper hand, the course conditions were so challenging that whenever one rider appeared to be riding away with the race, an incident would occur to let the other back into contention.

It wasnt until the final lap when Aerts took a hard crash on Namurs most perilous descent that van der Poel was able to break free to claim a hard fought victory. As a consolation prize, Aerts has now taken over the lead of the World Cup

The conditions at Namur created quite a spectacle for fans, but mid-race images of Iserbyt being carried away from the course as he succumbed to hypothermia-like symptoms illustrated just how challenging the day was for the racers.

Iserbyt was unable to finish the race due to the cold, which cost him the lead in the World Cup Standings.

Toon Aerts last lap crash was reminiscent of his season ending 2017 Fiuggi crash. X-rays taken on Monday morning revealed Aerts sustained a non-displaced rib fracture. His Telenet Baloise team will now assess whether or not the Belgian champion will be fit to compete in the remaining races of Belgiums Christmas series.

Tom Pidcock also suffered a last lap crash on the same descent which took down Aerts. Pidcock was poised to earn his first elite world cup podium, but was left to settle for fourth following the incident. The Yorkshire native claimed on social media that he had never been so cold in his life, and that he simply couldnt function on the final lap.

American Katie Clouse suffered a dislocated shoulder after going over the bars in the elite womens field. She hopes to continue to race the Christmas series, but any future starts are uncertain for the time being.

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The Damages From Namur -- Takeaways From The Weekend's Racing - FloBikes