Stephen Jacob Smith
@stephenjacobsmith.com
Executive director of the Center for Building in North America, [email protected]. Personal account. Brooklyn, NY.
The person told me that it was product liability for the manufacturers rather than workman’s comp…I think things like nuisance suits from people tripping on what they claim are cabs that aren’t totally even with landings. I’d have to look more into it though to know.
January 12, 2026 at 3:23 AM
The person told me that it was product liability for the manufacturers rather than workman’s comp…I think things like nuisance suits from people tripping on what they claim are cabs that aren’t totally even with landings. I’d have to look more into it though to know.
They recently striped a bunch of new, VERY annoying ones on Flushing Ave. around the Navy Yard, I assume in response to that woman being killed by the motorcyclist, in the hopes that annoying bicyclists is a good substitute for doing something about unlicensed motorcycles speeding down bike lanes
January 12, 2026 at 3:21 AM
They recently striped a bunch of new, VERY annoying ones on Flushing Ave. around the Navy Yard, I assume in response to that woman being killed by the motorcyclist, in the hopes that annoying bicyclists is a good substitute for doing something about unlicensed motorcycles speeding down bike lanes
Apparently the NYC DOT sometimes uses it for bus lanes too theasphaltpro.com/articles/nyc...
NYC Paves Bus Lanes with Red Asphalt
New York City paves with a red-colored asphalt to avoid painting its fast-fading bus lanes.
theasphaltpro.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Apparently the NYC DOT sometimes uses it for bus lanes too theasphaltpro.com/articles/nyc...
Don’t they use tinted asphalt in the Netherlands for bike lanes? I hate the thermoplastic paint and all the friggin markings on the bike lanes, they make the ride so bumpy, especially the rumble strip-style ones. I feel like half my focus while biking in NYC is trying to dodge those markings.
January 12, 2026 at 3:14 AM
Don’t they use tinted asphalt in the Netherlands for bike lanes? I hate the thermoplastic paint and all the friggin markings on the bike lanes, they make the ride so bumpy, especially the rumble strip-style ones. I feel like half my focus while biking in NYC is trying to dodge those markings.
Forget single-stair – have you considered building a building that is all stairs?
January 12, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Forget single-stair – have you considered building a building that is all stairs?
Actually product liability is something that I got some feedback about from somebody after releasing the report. I don’t think it’s as big of an issue as the ones I focused on, but I am interested in it. Unfortunately I’m not sure how to quantify it, since the manufacturers aren’t going to tell me.
January 12, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Actually product liability is something that I got some feedback about from somebody after releasing the report. I don’t think it’s as big of an issue as the ones I focused on, but I am interested in it. Unfortunately I’m not sure how to quantify it, since the manufacturers aren’t going to tell me.
I thought people elsewhere have a single exit system for all the upper floor units, but maybe that’s not right. I’m just trying to imagine three sets of stairs right next to each other on the ground floor…
January 12, 2026 at 2:32 AM
I thought people elsewhere have a single exit system for all the upper floor units, but maybe that’s not right. I’m just trying to imagine three sets of stairs right next to each other on the ground floor…
I figured it would mean unit one is in floors one and two, and unit two is on floors three and four, but somebody told me that in Vancouver it actually means apartments on different floors with independent exits
January 12, 2026 at 2:25 AM
I figured it would mean unit one is in floors one and two, and unit two is on floors three and four, but somebody told me that in Vancouver it actually means apartments on different floors with independent exits
…by their departure time, so it was scary to walk in and to see “my train” on the board)
January 12, 2026 at 12:12 AM
…by their departure time, so it was scary to walk in and to see “my train” on the board)
Keystone heading back to NYC shut its doors two minutes prior to scheduled departure, left one minute prior (but weirdly, the time on the board at 30th St. was one minute earlier than the ticket they sold? I know Amtrak thinks about its trains by their number, but most people think about them…
January 12, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Keystone heading back to NYC shut its doors two minutes prior to scheduled departure, left one minute prior (but weirdly, the time on the board at 30th St. was one minute earlier than the ticket they sold? I know Amtrak thinks about its trains by their number, but most people think about them…
There’s a long section in my report (which this is based on) on the labor shortage, which is indirectly driven by the standard issue that Uytae talks a lot about admin.centerforbuilding.org/wp-content/u...
admin.centerforbuilding.org
January 12, 2026 at 12:05 AM
There’s a long section in my report (which this is based on) on the labor shortage, which is indirectly driven by the standard issue that Uytae talks a lot about admin.centerforbuilding.org/wp-content/u...
There’s just nothing in 1006.3.3 to suggest that the story limits are just for the bottom-most story
January 11, 2026 at 10:59 PM
There’s just nothing in 1006.3.3 to suggest that the story limits are just for the bottom-most story
70 mph!!
70 and we just got rid of more slow zones because track maintenance can do their jobs
January 11, 2026 at 9:13 PM
70 mph!!
Wow yeah okay, you can feel it. It’s a shame the system is collapsing because that was insanely fast. Is there a reason the NYCTA doesn’t run that fast?
January 11, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Wow yeah okay, you can feel it. It’s a shame the system is collapsing because that was insanely fast. Is there a reason the NYCTA doesn’t run that fast?
Scissor units!! That’s what they are
January 11, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Scissor units!! That’s what they are
It’s the world’s most confusing floor plan, but there are four units and the top two floors are two diagonally arranged bilevel units. The text of the current version of the UCC (PA’s building code) does not allow this, but I guess L&I just decided to be chill about it? Or the code used to allow it?
January 11, 2026 at 8:54 PM
It’s the world’s most confusing floor plan, but there are four units and the top two floors are two diagonally arranged bilevel units. The text of the current version of the UCC (PA’s building code) does not allow this, but I guess L&I just decided to be chill about it? Or the code used to allow it?
In the US, the strength of the association of “apartment” with “rental apartment” varies by city. In NYC, it is very neutral – you can “buy an apartment.” In less urban areas, “apartment” strongly implies a rental. In non-NYC cities, I think it varies.
January 11, 2026 at 8:40 PM
In the US, the strength of the association of “apartment” with “rental apartment” varies by city. In NYC, it is very neutral – you can “buy an apartment.” In less urban areas, “apartment” strongly implies a rental. In non-NYC cities, I think it varies.
NYC English is the same – bilevel unit. A two-unit building is called a two-family house, or a two-fam.
January 11, 2026 at 8:15 PM
NYC English is the same – bilevel unit. A two-unit building is called a two-family house, or a two-fam.
An apartment can take up an entire floor! It’s called a full-floor apartment in NYC. A ton of them do, especially in converted brownstones.
January 11, 2026 at 5:48 PM
An apartment can take up an entire floor! It’s called a full-floor apartment in NYC. A ton of them do, especially in converted brownstones.
Also they drill this into you in the NYS broker licensing exam. It makes more sense when you contrast it to cooperative ownership, which is not really a thing outside of NYC
January 11, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Also they drill this into you in the NYS broker licensing exam. It makes more sense when you contrast it to cooperative ownership, which is not really a thing outside of NYC
I know that Wikipedia is not exactly canonical, but also, it’s as close as I can get without getting into legal documents en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condomi...
January 11, 2026 at 5:46 PM
I know that Wikipedia is not exactly canonical, but also, it’s as close as I can get without getting into legal documents en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condomi...