In this issue:
·Ready About? Architect’s Regatta Heartily Returns
·Buildings Department Cracks Down on Illegal Ads… Again
·Counties Go Carbon Neutral

Ready About? Architect’s Regatta Heartily Returns
This year’s architect’s regatta, a charity race for Project City Kids, a free sailing program for children, is upon us. Only open to architecture firms, the 2007 ChallengeNY Architect’s Regatta will be held Thursday, September 6.

First prize will win the ChallengeNY perpetual trophy designed by Les Metalliers Champenois, a multi-disciplinary metalwork company. In addition, all teams are asked to find, fabricate, or otherwise furnish a small parting gift to bestow upon the boat immediately following theirs in the final standings. Gifts will be valued more dearly for their wit than wealth, so plan accordingly.

The suggested entry is a $1,000 donation to Project City Kids. For more information visit the website, or e-mail Gerry Dolezar.

Buildings Department Cracks Down on Illegal Ads… Again
Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster, FAIA, announced phase two of the department’s enforcement campaign against illegal advertising. Expanding upon a crackdown on illegal advertising on sidewalk sheds, this new phase targets illegal advertising signs on buildings, which are generally large and mounted by anchors to the exterior wall of a building. The DOB is adopting a zero tolerance policy toward advertising signs posted on building walls and will issue violations to offending building owners and outdoor advertising companies.

“New York is certainly known for its busy landscape, but not every one of the city’s 950,000 buildings can be used as advertising space,” Lancaster says. “Some zoning districts allow advertising signs on building walls while others do not…. It is now time for these illegal signs to come down.”

Advertising posted on building walls is permitted in some commercial and manufacturing zoning districts, but, with the exception of some grandfathered signs, it is never permitted in residential districts. To install a wall sign, building owners must obtain an alteration permit and, in some cases, register with the DOB as an outdoor advertising company.

To report illegal signs on walls or sidewalk sheds, New Yorkers should call 311. For more information, visit the Department of Buildings’ website.

Counties Go Carbon Neutral
With local governments being in an ideal position to advance the green building movement, the National Association of Counties (NACo) has adopted a resolution supporting the AIA SustAIAnability 2030 Challenge calling for public buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030. U.S. buildings account for nearly the same amount of carbon emissions as the economies of Japan, France, and the United Kingdom combined, and if designed in an energy-efficient manner they can significantly reduce energy consumption, energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and slow the effects of climate change.

The Resolution Urging Counties to Adopt the “2030 Challenge” Goals for Public Buildings also asserts that NACo supports federal efforts to promote green buildings. The resolution highlights the many benefits of green buildings such as high performance school buildings and the need for greater emphasis to be placed on “life cycle costs.” To read the full resolution, click on the link.