Healthcare construction and design has changed dramatically as a result of  the events of the last 18 months, which will have a lasting impact on the industry, noted Jaimee Nardiello, Partner at leading construction law firm, Zetlin & De Chiara.

As part of Commercial Observer's 5th Annual Healthcare Construction Forum, Ms. Nardiello moderated a panel of industry experts who gave their unique perspectives on how the pandemic will change healthcare facilities and thus design in a post-covid world.

Topics discussed included building add-ons like airborne pathogen detectors, negative pressure rooms, and air handling systems, as well as how designers, managers, and construction teams can work together to build care-centered facilities.

On October 7, 2021, the New York City Council passed sweeping updates to the City’s building codes. The comprehensive revision to the Codes contains 600 major updates and thousands of smaller changes, intended to improve safety and incorporate the latest in building technologies.

The code revisions are the first holistic update to the entire set of NYC Administrative, Plumbing, Building, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes since 2014. The revisions were drafted by technical committees comprised of engineers, architects, attorneys, planners, tradespeople, representatives of the construction industry, labor, real estate industry, utility companies, as well as DOB and interagency stakeholders.

“New York City’s far-reaching climate laws will have a significant impact on developers, architects, engineers and the other members of the construction industry,” noted  Michael De Chiara, Senior Partner at Zetlin & De Chiara. Mr. De Chiara and a panel of industry experts expanded on the changes at a recent workshop on Contracts, Climate, & Compliance sponsored by the Building Energy Exchange’s Architect Advisory Council (AAC) in cooperation with AIA New York and ASHRAE New York.

The panel provided a detailed look at the legal risk and responsibility of high performance design and construction, as well as how to improve compliance with NYC climate legislation, including its forthcoming predicted energy use code (Local Law 32 of 2018) and the groundbreaking building carbon emission limits of 2019’s Local Law 97.

Tara Mulrooney, Partner at Zetlin & De Chiara, moderated a panel of industry experts at the Commercial Observer’s recent Life Science Forum. The panelists, representatives from different constituencies in the life sciences market, were:

• Susie Harboth, EVP, Business Operations Breakthrough Properties;
• Matthew Weir, EVP, Taconic Properties;
• Shara Ticku, CEO & Co-Founder, C16 Biosciences; and
• Peter Schubert, Design Partner, Ennead Architects.

The discussion focused on the unique needs of start-up and early stage life science companies and what developers, landlords and the City can do to make New York a destination for these enterprises.

In April of 2021, the New York City Department of Buildings (the “DOB”) announced five bills and sweeping updates to New York City Construction Codes related to construction safety.[1]  The simultaneous announcement of the New York City Council’s introduction of the legislation along with the revisions to the construction codes intend to further the objective of increasing the protections afforded to the general public and construction professionals on all construction sites throughout New York City. However, with the enactment of the new legislation and the comprehensive updates to the construction codes, there will be an increase in the obligations placed upon professionals within the industry and an inevitable impact on the industry as a whole.  This client alert serves to provide an overview of the legislation and highlight some of the major amendments and updates to the construction code.