The elevator is one of those inventions—along with running hot and cold water and indoor plumbing—that have been around for so long we take it for granted. But elevators obviously weren’t always a part of the architectural landscape. Withou…
Glass façades are for many the epitome of contemporary urban architecture and design. Sleek, clean, and modern, they give the impression of an Emerald City of the future, rising above the bricks and mortar of yesterday’s Gotham. Yet with th…
Whether you’re a manager or a trustee, running a condo, HOA, or co-op has never been an easy job. There’s always a capital project to fund, a contractor to hire, a dispute to resolve, a leak to repair...the list can feel endless. That’s w…
Color affects human behavior—for better, or worse. Research indicates that practical and aesthetic applications of color in both public and private spaces can manipulate the mood and perception of the people using those spaces. A board plan…
It takes a small army of professionals—everyone from on-site handymen to licensed professional tradespeople and engineers—to maintain multifamily buildings, both large and small. The question is, who does what, and when? Everyone likes to s…
In addition to their boards, common interest communities are governed by a set of foundational documents. In a condominium, those documents are the declaration and bylaws; co-ops also have bylaws, as well as a unique document called a propr…
Living in close quarters can—and often does—lead to conflict. In condo, co-op, and HOA communities, conflict can occur between residents, or between a resident and the board. And to complicate matters, a seemingly isolated conflict between …
Nobel Prize-eschewing poet and folk-rock music legend Bob Dylan might have been the first person to be known as “going electric” (at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965), but as with much of his oeuvre, the world is now following in his foots…
In his 1971 book Future Shock, author Alvin Toffler describes a society undergoing enormous structural change as a result of technological advancements—and the social stress and disorientation that came with that change. A half-century late…
As the push to reduce our carbon emissions and maintain livable conditions intensifies, sustainability has become an increasingly important concern for multifamily buildings—including condos, co-ops, and HOAs. More and more legislation and …