The Brooklyn Navy Yard was once a thriving industrial hub, and it may finally be again, thanks to the borough’s self-styled “innovation economy” that meshes tech and light manufacturing. Brooklyn boosterism and its gritty past were on display yesterday at Commercial Observer’s Brooklyn Queens Event, which took place in the newly constructed Building 128 at the Navy Yard.
As the healthcare industry evolves and healthcare facilities become increasingly specialized, these hospitals, ambulatory centers and other tertiary facilities are among the most expensive buildings to construct. To address the issues, two of the firm’s attorneys, Michael Zetlin and Michael Vardaro, will participate in national healthcare conferences this month.
NEW YORK (September 7, 2017) – Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, a leading national construction law firm, is pleased to welcome Deena M. Crimaldi and Richard J. Kalinowski to the firm’s New York office.
“We are very fortunate that Deena and Richard have joined the Zetlin & De Chiara team and we are looking forward to the new dimensions they will add to our practice,” said Michael Vardaro, Managing Partner. “Deena is an experienced construction litigator who has handled all aspects of the litigation process. Richard studied engineering in college and then worked at WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff before becoming an attorney.”
This summer, the world looked on in disbelief as fire consumed the 24-story Grenfell Tower residential high-rise in London. The building burned for more than 24 hours before firefighters could extinguish it in full. Reports have confirmed approximately 80 fatalities so far, but that number could still grow as inspectors continue to survey the site and identify victims.
An investigation into the fire's cause has centered on exterior cladding that was part of a renovation completed in May 2016, although the building’s lack of fire sprinklers has come under public scrutiny as well. Those panels, which contain the highly flammable polyethylene, are thought to have helped spread the flames after a refrigerator electrical fire on the fourth floor.
Polyethylene was also found in the pile of material that burned so hot under Interstate 85 in Atlanta in March that it collapsed a 350-foot section of highway. And it is because of that flammability that the panels' manufacturer, Arconic, formerly part of Alcoa, says they are not meant for use in high-rise construction. Yet they were installed at Grenfell and other towers.
Finding one person or company to hold liable when a building material has been improperly or unscrupulously specified or installed is often impossible — and given the increasingly collaborative nature of construction projects today, perhaps not advisable...