Parkins Progress Memo

I interviewed architect JC Calderon, who was a consultant to the Skyscraper Safety Campaign (though less propagandistic), and he elucidated the issues involved with changing skyscraper design and standards and, the systems involved in making it happen. The main issues are below:

1. Accountability – The World Trade Center site is governed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ad not subject to the city’s building codes. It is a semi-private/semi-governmental organization over which no city agency has jurisdiction. The Department of City Planning, NYPD and NYFD could make suggestions and cite violations but it is the Port Authority’s choice to comply- part of the reason why the World Trade Center towers were able to be built so high in the first place.
2. All of the building code changes brought about by the World Trade Center attacks, do not affect the buildings that will be rebuilt on the site.
3. Structural engineers have been very instrumental in thinking bout design of buildings and creating safety measures for the structure and thinking about egress. Measures include, but are not limited to, the widening of stairwells, the introduction of sky lobbies, and elevators that firefighters can use in case of an emergency. However, engineers are very cognizant of not working under the assumption of terror. First and foremost, the buildings have to function and they need to figure out the best ways that can happen.
4. Architects worked on the building codes to include low-cost measures such as phosphorescent safety strips that can light the way to safety when the power shuts off and the requirement of sprinkler systems.
5. Everyone had to compromise on what they wanted or did not want to do- architects, engineers and yes, the almighty real estate community. They may not want to lose square footage, but there are other measures they can build in to their costs and the city is now requiring that new buildings include the new safety measures and that old buildings are brought up to code in the next five years. The new building codes go into effect on July 1, 2008. If developers have to do something, they know how to work it in to the budget or how to pass the costs off to someone else. It is about money, and they know how to manipulate it.
6. Other issues have quickly taken over that of terror and safety. Sustainable development is the hot-button issue that most designers and engineers are focusing. Though not mutually exclusive to the issue of safety, it is the pressing, tangible threat the community is thinking about.
7. Buildings are complex organisms that the general public does not understand or question. Rarely do they understand the role of the architect. Public pressure would have pushed changes in building codes and design faster (in this instance however, September 11 was a good catalyst).

Calderon showed me the (very large) summary of the new building codes and let me know I can get the slide show from the Department of Buildings, my next step.

Seven years later, it is interesting to see what is important when thinking about building design and safety. My last interviews and steps will be:

1. Speak to developers or the Real Estate Congress of New York
2. Ask the Port Authority what standards they will comply with in the rebuilding of the site
3. Speak with someone on the design team of 7 World Trade Center at SOM for their story behind the building
4. Ask people on the street what they think is the biggest safety concern with skyscrapers and if they knew changes would be cheap and better for them in the long run, would they care.