Construction Maison

In January 2015, a massive fire in Edgewater, N.J., demonstrated that buildings with sprinkler systems are not always protected against fire. The blaze destroyed 240 residential apartments and displaced 500 people from the Edgewater Avalon apartment building . The fire began when a maintenance worker’s plumbing torch accidentally ignited wooden wall studs , and flames quickly spread throughout the structure. Fifteen minutes passed before workers called the fire department . In that time, the fire spread throughout combustible void spaces (between walls and floors) and soon engulfed the building. Emergency personnel from 35 different cities and towns ultimately responded to the incident. Thankfully, there were no fatalities. Immediately after the blaze, people asked why the fire was so devastating. The building had sprinklers, after all. Shouldn’t the sprinkler system have extinguished the fire? To make matters worse , this building had already burned down 15 years prior during i...

Water Management Awards gather following the awards ceremony with Mr. Randy Robinson, acting assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment (front row far left), and Ms. Carla Coulson, acting deputy assistant chief of staff for Installation Management (front row far right) during the Energy Exchange Symposium held in Tampa Florida. The Awards are presented in categories related to energy efficiency , energy management , and water conservation ." /> 1 / 1 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Many of the forty-nine recipients of 2017 Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Awards gather following the awards ceremony with Mr. Randy Robinson, acting assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment (front row far left), and Ms. Carla Coulson, acting deputy assistant chief of staff for Installation Management (front row far right) during the Energy Exchange Symposium held in Tampa Florida. The Awards are presen...

The former BP station on East Post Road in White Plains. Photo by Bill Heltzel The White Plains Housing Authority has sued BP Products North America for allegedly contaminating water and soil at a former gas station near Winbrook Apartments . A toxic plume under the former BP station at 34 E. Post Road, the housing authority claims , has migrated toward an apartment building. The plume allegedly threatens the health of residents and potentially jeopardizes financing for a $350 million plan to replace five buildings. The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 17 in federal court in White Plains. BP did not respond to a voicemail and an email request for comment. Winbrook is the city’s oldest public housing site , comprising five 90- unit structures built in the late 1940s. The apartments are in downtown White Plains on South Lexington Avenue , Fisher Court and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . Boulevard. The gas station was next to Winbrook’s Building 33, home of about 350 residents. BP owned or o...