Published: 6:48PM Friday February 10, 2012 Source: ONE News

Maurice Williamson - Source: Close Up

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The Minister of Building and Construction wants to set up a mandatory scheme for buildings to display their earthquake safety standards.

The proposal from Maurice Williamson comes after a report into the collapse of Christchurch's CTV building found it failed three standards of the building code when it was built in 1986.

The six-storey building claimed 115 lives when it was flattened in the February 22 quake and subsequently caught fire.

Williamson said establishing a law which forces building owners to publicly disclose a building's ability to withstand an earthquake would allow people to make their own decisions about using it.

"If you were going to rent an apartment and you saw your building only met 30% of the earthquake standard you'd make the decision, 'I'd rather pay more for a flat in a better building,'" he said.

"Then you'd see market forces making owners lift the standards of their buildings."

Williamson said the Canterbury earthquakes had forced officials to rethink the current building code, particularly with regard to seismic activity.

He said it was possible higher standards may be introduced, but these had to be balanced off against the extra cost to builders. 

"We've put about a 35% increase in the seismic standards for new buildings (since the quakes)," he said.

"But it (the CTV report) will also make us think seriously about where we take that level for older stock.

"You could have the gold plated standard and have no one able to afford a building or have low standards and buildings be really cheap."

Meanwhile, the Department of Building and Housing is currently examining 352 structures built around the same time as the CTV building which may have similar problems in the event of a quake.

"They think it highly unlikely it'll be replicated elsewhere, but we are going to do those checks to make sure," Williamson said.

"We've inspected just about half of them, about 176, and we've found about 60 that require some further work."

Williamson won't name the other buildings on the inspection list but said the chances of another collapse like the CTV building is very unlikely.

He said CTV had a unique design which made it more vulnerable and it also failed to meet the building standards of its time.

The department hopes to have the remaining surveys completed by April.

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Minister calls for building quake safety ratings

Saturday, February 11, 2012    Last updated: Sunday February 12, 2012, 1:21 PM

After living in a small New York apartment, Michelle and Alon Frumer were thrilled to find a new-construction house in Englewood in 2008, with plenty of room to raise their two young children.

KEVIN R. WEXLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Alon Frumer in his Englewood home, where several rooms had to be gutted because of leaks that fed the growth of mold. That and other problems have forced him and his family to leave the house, and a lawsuit is pending.

But just days after moving into the $997,000 home, the couple discovered water pouring into the basement from an opening in the foundation. Other problems soon turned up, including a cracked chimney, missing fire protection and extensive water leaks, which fed the growth of mold.

"It reminded me of that movie 'The Money Pit,' " said Michelle, a real estate investment manager. "I feel like we're living a real-life 'Money Pit' with this house."

Their years-long struggle to get relief raises questions about the effectiveness of municipal building inspections and home warranties. The Frumers say the city's building inspector should have found the home's problems during its construction, and the warranty company should now do more to remedy them.

Much litigation

The Frumers, who moved out of the house in 2009 and are now living in Teaneck, have sued the architect, the builder, the city of Englewood, the home warranty company and the contractor that the warranty company sent to fix the problems.

According to the suit, the four-bedroom, 4,883-square-foot Valley Place house was built by Leonard and Evelyn Krimsky of Englewood in partnership with Jack Nelson of Englewood. It featured high ceilings, a library and fireplaces in both the living room and master bedroom. It was completed in 2007, and the Frumers bought it in April 2008. They didn't have an inspection because the home had been inspected by the city's building code officials, and it came with the warranty.

But new homes should "absolutely" be checked by an independent inspector, said John Nastasi, an architecture professor at Stevens Institute of Technology.

'A total disaster'

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New home, no worries. No way!

WATERLOO REGION – Housing starts in Waterloo Region surged in January due to construction of a large apartment building in Waterloo.

Builders started 467 housing units in the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo census metropolitan area last month, more than double the 177 units started in January a year ago, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said Wednesday.

Last month’s total was boosted by 362 apartment starts, including a 358-unit building on Erb Street in Waterloo.

Although that single project skews last month’s numbers, the increase in apartment construction reflects a trend as young adults, immigrants and downsizing baby boomers boost demand for apartment-style accommodation, said Erica McLerie, a senior market analyst with the housing corporation.

Foundations were poured for 75 single-detached homes last month, down from 93 in January a year ago.

Nationally, the pace of housing starts slowed slightly in January, mainly because of sharp decreases in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

The housing agency said the seasonally adjusted annual start rate was 197,900 units in January, down from 199,900 units in December.

The seasonally adjusted figure attempts to smooth out monthly variations and calculates an annual total as if the January rate continued for 12 months.

The actual number of units begun in January was 12,950.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts decreased by 2.8 per cent to 176,600 units in January, with single starts down by 7.8 per cent and multiple starts up 0.4 per cent.

Urban starts decreased by 35.4 per cent in Atlantic Canada and by 34.4 per cent in Quebec on a seasonally adjusted annual rate.

On the same basis, rural starts were estimated at 21,300 units in January.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Big apartment project boosts local housing starts in January

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- An apartment complex proposed along University Avenue has some neighbors concerned.

Developers addressed their questions during a Planning and Zoning Commission subcommittee meeting Wednesday. Brent Dahlstrom and Jim Sulentic have partnered to construct a 12-unit building on unused land behind the University Inn, 4711 University Ave.

The complex is similar to one Dahlstrom built at 3834 W. Fourth St. in Waterloo.

Improved storm water detention and access to the complex fueled the discussion. Sulentic assured the residents the apartments would not be considered low-rent housing.

Walter Combes wasn't convinced. His fears centered on increased traffic near his home on Chapman Court.

"I'm against it, I'll tell you that," he said. "I don't think this is a feasible plan."

A private driveway is planned to the west to Orchard Place and onto Orchard Drive, which intersects with Chapman. Tenants also could exit east onto University Avenue by driving through the existing motel lot.

Sulentic said if each two-bedroom apartment has two tenants, that amounts to a maximum of 24 vehicles. He compared the complex to the much larger Mallard Point retirement community across Orchard Drive.

"That thing just keeps going and going and going and going," he said. "We're not talking about 36 units or 48 units. We're talking about 12 units."

Even so, Richard Hanson feels "it's just not a very desirable place to put a nice apartment building."

The facility will require special permission from Planning and Zoning and the City Council, according to City Planner Marty Ryan said. The area is zoned C2 commercial, and the ordinance establishing that district doesn't allow residential uses.

"Our main objective is to make sure we're not sacrificing or giving up commercial properties for residential uses," Ryan advised commissioners.

The 3.6-acre property, which includes the motel and proposed apartment building, would remain zoned C2 commercial and could be transformed into something else in the future, Ryan said.

"If some motel element is preserved, I think we have to recognize that," Ryan said.

But some argued the adjacent motel, the former Vagabond Motel, could be conveyed as an apartment, as the business is transitioning to an extended-stay facility. The JLL Extended Stay Inn on University also has long-term tenants.

Dahlstrom said the University Inn fills a "big demand" for short-term housing. John Deere and construction workers, for example, may stay a few months and can't commit to a yearlong lease.

"It's such a gray area," Commissioner Jim Moody said.

Cedar Falls Fire Battalion Chief Desi Duggan agreed. If occupants stay more than 30 days, code requirements change. The Extended Stay Inn has installed sprinklers and kitchenettes.

However, in some places residents are doing a lot of cooking and washing dishes in a bathtub, making protection difficult, Duggan said.

"It's a real unsafe environment," he said, adding that many are flood victims from North Cedar. "They're paying month to month, but they're not going anywhere. These people can't afford to go anywhere else."

Rent at extended-stay facilities isn't necessarily geared toward low-income people, but rather residents pay the market rate for the square footage, Sulentic said. Even with low interest rates, some still can't afford to buy a house.

"People have to live somewhere," Ryan said. "We can't just say because you're too poor you can't live in Cedar Falls. That's not acceptable."

Dahlstrom receives about three calls daily from people looking for a place to rent and said vacancies are sparse. He owns a couple of hundred units but won't have anything available until 2013.

The preliminary apartment plan will advance to the regular commission meeting Feb. 15.

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Cedar Falls neighbors wary of proposed apartment building

09-01-2012 10:34 The economy of scale. Don't worry, as the economy collapses into anarchy under the Republican policy, the Republicans, like Fineswine, will suddenly become democrats with a small "d". When Carter was Prez. he put solar cells on the White House. When Reagan came into office, he ripped the Solar cells off the House and threw solar into the dust bin of history. The Chinese, familiar with recycling, picked up the solar cell industry and decided to install them on all their new houses. China decided 10 years ago that solar energy was a form of nuclear power, fusion, at the only safe distance from our environment, 93000000 million miles away. So to ban nukes, dirty coal and oil, China decided to make sun power their national power. Let the sun shine in. Sing the song each day. China is building a million new solar powered apartment buildings a year. The national bird of China is the crane, the construction crane. China now produces more high quality PV solar cells than any nation. In 5 more years China was have 50% of its power needs supplied by solar power. You may scoff, but by 2020, you will be crying, "Why didn't someone tell me that solar power is better, cheaper and FREE!" Stop crying. Start building solar BERM housing today. We need to buy solar cells from China and make them into solar powered houses to break our addiction to OIL and nukes. This will jump start the California housing economy. All non solar housing must be scrapped. This is the dawning of the age of Solar ...

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The economy of scale. - Video

30-01-2012 17:58 YoChicago.com Jonathan Jackson is a Technical Engineer with Plumbers Local 130 and a licensed surveyor. When I stopped to chat with him at K2 at K Station, a 34-story apartment tower under construction in the Fulton River District, he was checking to ensure that nothing outside of the site was moving. Moving? As Jonathan explains in the video, large-scale construction can cause settling and movement of other structures, utility lines, etc. outside of the site itself.

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Jonathan Jackson, keeping it straight at the K2 high-rise - Video

30-01-2012 13:28 http://www.reit.com The multihousing industry is poised for a strong year in 2012, according to Doug Bibby, president of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC). In a video interview with REIT.com at the NAREIT headquarters in Washington, DC, Bibby discussed growth, maintaining the momentum and keeping up with the demand for multifamily housing. On the heels of NMHC's annual meeting in January, Bibby said that there is great optimism in the industry. "We're seeing a surging demand for rental housing and a preference for apartments, so that is providing great growth opportunities for our members," Bibby said. "At the same time supply is more limited in the industry." He attributes the current lack of supply to the previous single-family housing bubble and added that NMHC's member corporations have been much more restrained in their building within the last few years. As a result, he anticipates rental prices to continue to grow this year. In order to sustain that momentum, Bibby said that it will take jobs and a growth in the economy. He also said that a healthy single-family sector needs to be established. "Multifamily always performs better when there's a healthy single-family sector," Bibby said. Bibby responded to President Obama's recent State of the Union speech by saying the president rightfully focused on the single-family housing market since millions of homeowners are under water on their mortgages. However, he said he would have like to see issues such as the need ...

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Multihousing Momentum to Remain Strong - Video

30-11-2011 23:17 Grain storage solutions - Greystone Construction Company spotlights a design/build project -- a one million bushel flat grain storage fabric building for Glacial Plains Cooperative in Milan, Minnesota.

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Grain Storage - Flat Grain Storage Fabric Building Solutions - Video

28-10-2011 14:48 1br/1ba huge loft for rent in northern liberties. Building was a new construction only a couple years ago so everything is in perfect condition. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, washer and dryer in unit, easy on-street parking. Kitchen large enough for full sized table, plus separate living / dining and office area.

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Philadelphia Northern Liberties 1br Loft apartment FOR RENT, all new - Video

19-01-2012 10:00 NukeNe.ws - Fukushima Worker Camera can resist 1000 sieverts, today it was broken — Spots on images show radioactivity — Tepco yet to measure radiation level (PHOTOS) :: Tepco: Unfortunately we could not spot any signs of fuel — Water at unexpectedly low levels, accuracy of gauges questioned (PHOTOS) :: Aftermath of Frontline's "Nuclear Aftershocks" :: US top officer goes to Israel amid Iran fears Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Most households living in high-radiation apartment building want to move Nuke safety agency under fire for hasty approval of reactor reactivation Anger over plans to restart Japan's nuclear plants "Cable was too short": Tepco failed to plug in device that would have provided key data about Fukushima reactors on March 11 -NHK (VIDEO) Is Iran racing towards testing a nuclear weapon before the world strikes? Kyodo: Camera endoscope enters inside Fukushima Reactor No. 2 — Difficulty finding melted fuel? Japan's disaster, as you've never seen it Reactor 2 Containment Vessel Endoscopy Photos Reactor 2 Containment Vessel Endoscopy Update: They Coudn't See the Water Asahi: People eating more radiation, but not in danger — 96% of Fukushima residents ingested cesium on Dec. 4, 56% in Tokyo area -Study Radioactive cesium in the ocean fish food chain Scotland's radioactive beach a political hazard for UK government Protestors denounce Japan's nuclear watchdog agency Israel will not pre-emptively strike Iran Time France gave back its atomic test islands to their ...

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Pacific Radiation Contamination, Melted Fuel Gone, Reactor Photos, Scotland Beach, Portland Concerns - Video