Page 8 - New England Condominium May 2021

8 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM
-MAY 2021
NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM
Building EnvelopeYour
Restoration Specialists
Since 1981,
Alpha Weatherproofing Corp.
has served
building owners and property managers throughout
New England with comprehensive weatherproofing
and building envelope restoration services.
AFTER
BEFORE
•
Concrete Restoration
•
Façade Inspection & Repair Specialty Coatings
•
Masonry Restoration
•
Sealant Removal &
Replacement
•
Parking Garage Repair
& Traffic Coatings
•
Historic Restoration
•
•
Waterproofing Systems
•
Roofing & Roof
Maintenance
•
Structural Repairs
•
Emergency Repairs
617-628-8888 www.weatherproofing.net
•
Request a free consultation • View projects • Sign up for our e-newsletter
the condo wouldn’t share in the responsibil-
ity. Needless to say, the revolt was squashed as
quickly as it began.
Along the same lines, Wollman relates the
circumstances in a luxury, 12-unit condo-
minium in Manhattan. He says that there was
such a divergence in opinion about opening
the building’s amenities that he opted to go
unit to unit and speak to each owner sepa-
rately, rather than just the board. He stressed
in each conversation that despite the small
overall number of units and residents in the
building, the risks were still too high, and that
the best option was to wait a bit longer to open
things up until more widespread vaccination
reduces both the risk and the tension around
the issue. He is in all probability correct—and
no matter what one’s politics, we can all agree
that the sooner COVID-19 is in the rearview,
the better.
n
A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter with
New England Condominium, and a published
novelist.
we put into it?’ If unit-owners are thinking
short-term, or even medium-term, and they
don’t believe the changes required to live with
COVID-19 are permanent, they are less likely
to institute rules changes that are effectively
life changes, nor to spend the money to do it.”
The other factor DiNocco points to is
that “people don’t want to be around others
who aren’t in their bubble—so why would we
make a decision for their community allow-
ing something that they wouldn’t do them-
selves right now?” He expects a lot of people
to say that keeping amenities closed or limit-
ing their use is no big deal for now, and to be
willing to accept these decisions. “There isn’t
much interest in reopening,” he stresses. “I’ve
only received one request to reopen the gym.”
Politics
Lastly, possibly most importantly—and
sadly—unlike any such crisis before it, the
COVID-19 pandemic has been starkly politi-
cized. Numerous professionals contacted for
this article stressed that the decisions about
reopening a particular community’s ameni-
ties and the rules that will apply to it are often
reflective of the political culture of that com-
munity. There are those communities where
mask wearing is required and those where it
is rejected, regardless of expert recommenda-
tions or evidence that masking greatly reduc-
es the spread of the disease.
One manager says, “It’s like ‘Invasion of
the Body Snatchers.’ I don’t recognize some
of these people whom I’ve known for years.
People actually put their politics before their
own good.”
Many pros say the biggest pushback
against masks or continued amenity closures
may be in over-55 communities, where resi-
dents—more and more of whom are finally
getting vaccinated—want to return to some
kind of normal, and are campaigning for
reopening. While that may be understand-
able, says Masullo, “No senior who hasn’t
been vaccinated should get within six feet of
anyone else. Many are having difficulty get-
ting vaccinated. We will help residents get
appointments in senior communities to do
vaccines in clubhouses, etc. I tell them that
if you’re managing a senior community, you
should not open amenities. It could mean
millions of dollars in lawsuits. Don’t open the
pool until the science tells us it’s safe.”
Which brings us back to the matter of li-
ability. One manager describes a situation
where the board of a particular community
was dominated by three attorneys who resid-
ed in the building. Early on, they implement-
ed a very strict policy of mask wearing, social
distancing, and closure of amenities. Many
residents were unhappy with the policy—
some quite vocally—but these attorney board
members told the complaining residents that
if they disregarded the rules, liability for any
damages resulting from their disobedience
would fall squarely on them individually—
LIABILITY, COST,...
continued from page 6
Cohen goes on to explain that there are
seven principles of Universal Design: equi-
table use, flexibility in use, simple and in-
tuitive use, perceptible information, toler-
ance for error, low physical effort, size and
space for approach and use. Taken together
and applied, these principles ensure that an
environment can be used in the most in-
dependent and natural way, in the widest
possible range of situations, by the broad-
est array of users, without special adapta-
tion, modification, or specialized solutions.
They can be applied to evaluate existing
designs, to guide new ones, or to educate
designers and consumers.
Jonathan Baron, principal of Manhat-
tan-based Jonathan Baron Interiors, works
with clients across the country, including
New England, and explains the movement
in simple terms. “The concept came out of
architects’ and interior designers’ concerns
about meeting the needs of everyone, in-
cluding mildly to severely disabled people.
Something as simple as a cane or walker
would have access to any space from a
kitchen or bath to common areas such as
lobbies and hallways. In the early 1990s this
became a trend. It was the moment where
the design industry took on the moral and
ethical responsibility of this challenge. We
weren’t going to design just anything any-
more. It’s about ‘comfortable’ use. Form fol-
lows function. It is a commitment to meet
the needs of everyone.”
Enter the ADA
Universal Design is a movement—not a
federal statute or mandatory code. The ADA,
on the other hand, is the law. Baron explains
that the Americans with Disabilities Act was
passed and signed into law in July 1990 by
then-President George H.W. Bush. ADA
compliance enforcement followed, with fail-
UNIVERSAL...
continued from page 1
ure to meet the new requirements resulting in
costly legal action. Failing to make spaces and
facilities accessible to those with disabilities
was considered discriminatory.
Of course, the tenets of Universal Design
incorporate the same principles and values
enshrined in the ADA— and according to
Cohen, architects and designers integrate
Universal Design and the ADA requirements
all the time. “We use codes as a guide for com-
pliance with agencies having jurisdiction but
make the process specific to the location and
client,” he says. “It is not a one-size-fits-all ap-
proach. We start by understanding the users
and asking questions about what they find
most challenging. We talk to residents as well
as staff. Some of this happens by asking, and
some by observing.
“The design process itself is interactive and
layered, and takes many factors into consid-
eration,” Cohen continues, “including things
like spatial clearances and mobility impedi-
ments. Ease of navigating the space; differ-
entiating between public, private, service and
emergency egress, and finding direction; an
understanding of the varied characteristics
and abilities of users’ mobility, sensory, cogni-
tive, as well as what is familiar to them; appro-
priate selections of flooring finishes, lighting,
surface finishes on ceilings, walls, floors, and
transaction surfaces to avoid glare, slippery
floor surfaces. You also address acoustics and
palette, to provide balanced contrast in light/
dark, hue, and pattern. It’s also important to
address the things that aren’t as apparent as
disabilities, such as mental health issues and
cognitive issues, and to respond to neurodi-
versity. Appropriate furniture and selections
to accommodate a range of sizes and abilities.
Arms on chairs, seating height and depth.”
Baron illustrates how ADA considerations
affect decisions about and the execution of
Universal Design projects. “There are codes
that determine how space must function to
continued on page 9
“Universal Design
is the design and
composition of an
environment so that
it can be accessed,
understood, and used
to the greatest extent
possible by all people
regardless of their age,
size, and ability. It is a
fundamental process
of good design.”
—Eric Cohen