No. 135
MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND BUILDINGS
COMMISSIONER LANCASTER ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF FIRST PROPOSED OVERHAUL TO
BUILDING CODE SINCE 1968
New NYC Construction Codes Make
Construction Easier, Faster, Less Expensive;
New Emphasis on Safety and
Sustainability
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Buildings Commissioner
“Our City’s population is expected to grow by one million by 2030, and the pace
of new construction is likely to continue to be brisk in the years ahead,” said
Mayor Bloomberg. “If this massive revision to the City’s Building Code is
approved by the City Council, outdated regulations that are unnecessarily
complex and convoluted will be replaced. The international competitiveness of
our City will be increased with new, streamlined Construction Codes that allow
for the cheaper construction of safer and more environmentally responsible
buildings. This proposal will make new construction less expensive and make it
easier to build more affordable housing.”
“The City’s economic development depends on construction codes that achieve a
delicate mix of enhanced safety requirements, opportunities for cost savings,
and incentives for innovative and sustainable building,” said Commissioner
Lancaster. “My staff and I, along with the countless professionals involved in
the Code program, have worked hard to develop these new, comprehensive
Construction Codes that will ensure
The new NYC Construction Codes will
modernize building in the City by being more user-friendly and encouraging
sustainability. The new Codes adopt certain national standards and accept the
use of new
The Codes will seek to facilitate sustainable building by providing fee rebates
for green design, requiring more efficient heating and cooling systems,
requiring white roofs, and encouraging plumbing systems that conserve water.
The Codes achieve a
reduction in fuel burning as a result of energy savings through energy efficient
ventilation design and allowing for the intermittent operation of ventilation in
kitchens, bathrooms, and showers. New provisions in the Codes will also
facilitate the development of biotechnology facilities in hospitals,
laboratories, and pharmaceutical research centers. City accessibility standards will be
improved and brought in line with federal mandates.
Safety requirements are strengthened and enhanced in the new Codes. For example,
sprinkler requirements will be expanded to include more building types and smoke
detectors will be required to be hardwired and interconnected in more
occupancies. Automatic
sprinklers will be required in new types of buildings including a portion of
one- and two-family homes, large places of assembly, factories, and fuel storage
areas. Also, the design of standpipe systems in high-rises will be enhanced to
provide substantial in-house water reserves for more efficient firefighting.
Requirements for impact-resistant stairways and elevator shafts, and photo
luminescent markings from commercial high-rises –first instituted in the
The proposed NYC Construction Codes were tailored to meet the unique conditions
that
-30-
Contact:
Stu Loeser/John
Gallagher (212)
788-2958
Kate Lindquist
(DOB) (212)
566-3473