New York City is famously characterized by skyscrapers, and is densely populated with them at its center. In the wake of the notorious 9/11 terror emergency, the City issued legislation covering the safety standards and evacuation measures expected of tall buildings. Every tall building is therefore required to comply with NYC Local Law 26 of 2004 (LL26).
LL26 contains provisions dealing with the construction and upgrade of tall buildings. There are provisions which are retroactive in nature, meaning that they need to be adhered to immediately (the deadline expired in 2006, so any new buildings will have to be designed around these provisions). Other provisions are prospective, meaning that there is yet time to comply with them. The provisions are intended to regulate safety during both ordinary and emergency events.
One of the most striking features of the traumatic 9/11 pictures is that the attacked buildings are on fire. LL26 deals with the evacuation of buildings during a fire. Office buildings are required to have an evacuation plan in place and may be asked to submit the plan to the fire department. This may sound obvious but one can never err on the side of caution where hundreds of people in a confined space are at risk.
LL26 also covers the issue of exit points or routes in the building. The legislative term used is 'egress', which simply means exit. All routes of egress are required to be marked by photoluminescent material (material which glows in the dark). This regulation covers obvious items like stairways and doors. Photoluminescent marking is very important where evacuation takes place in heavy smoke or during the night.
Where the path of egress is not entirely clear, additional signage is prescribed. This signage must consist of exit signs indicating the direction of the exit door, and the signs must be placed on the walls. Where electrically illuminated signs are used, they need to be connected to a permanent power source in case of emergency such as a battery or generator.
Buildings taller than 100 feet are required to have a sprinkler system installed. Leniency may be exercised for this requirement if the building is structurally incapable of accommodating such a system or where it is likely to take longer than the prescribed period to install the sprinklers. The deadline for meeting this requirement is 1 July 2019. As a further precaution, piping carrying fuel oil may not be oversized where it is laid above the lowest floor.
Building owners need to file a report with the city on progress made in complying with the regulations about sprinkler systems. The next report is due in 2018 and it needs to be certified by either an architect or an engineer. The report should outline the compliance plan for the building and also describe the progress made to date in implementing that plan.
LL26 is the City's response to the 9/11 disaster. All of the provisions are important and are aimed at achieving maximum safety for the inhabitants of the city's tall buildings in case of emergency. In the interests of everyone's safety, LL26 should be received in the right spirit and a diligent attempt should be made to comply with NYC Local Law 26 of 2004.
LL26 contains provisions dealing with the construction and upgrade of tall buildings. There are provisions which are retroactive in nature, meaning that they need to be adhered to immediately (the deadline expired in 2006, so any new buildings will have to be designed around these provisions). Other provisions are prospective, meaning that there is yet time to comply with them. The provisions are intended to regulate safety during both ordinary and emergency events.
One of the most striking features of the traumatic 9/11 pictures is that the attacked buildings are on fire. LL26 deals with the evacuation of buildings during a fire. Office buildings are required to have an evacuation plan in place and may be asked to submit the plan to the fire department. This may sound obvious but one can never err on the side of caution where hundreds of people in a confined space are at risk.
LL26 also covers the issue of exit points or routes in the building. The legislative term used is 'egress', which simply means exit. All routes of egress are required to be marked by photoluminescent material (material which glows in the dark). This regulation covers obvious items like stairways and doors. Photoluminescent marking is very important where evacuation takes place in heavy smoke or during the night.
Where the path of egress is not entirely clear, additional signage is prescribed. This signage must consist of exit signs indicating the direction of the exit door, and the signs must be placed on the walls. Where electrically illuminated signs are used, they need to be connected to a permanent power source in case of emergency such as a battery or generator.
Buildings taller than 100 feet are required to have a sprinkler system installed. Leniency may be exercised for this requirement if the building is structurally incapable of accommodating such a system or where it is likely to take longer than the prescribed period to install the sprinklers. The deadline for meeting this requirement is 1 July 2019. As a further precaution, piping carrying fuel oil may not be oversized where it is laid above the lowest floor.
Building owners need to file a report with the city on progress made in complying with the regulations about sprinkler systems. The next report is due in 2018 and it needs to be certified by either an architect or an engineer. The report should outline the compliance plan for the building and also describe the progress made to date in implementing that plan.
LL26 is the City's response to the 9/11 disaster. All of the provisions are important and are aimed at achieving maximum safety for the inhabitants of the city's tall buildings in case of emergency. In the interests of everyone's safety, LL26 should be received in the right spirit and a diligent attempt should be made to comply with NYC Local Law 26 of 2004.
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