Charlottesville, VA (PRWEB) August 05, 2014

Modular Building Institute is pleased to announce that the August 2014 Modular Building of the Month is the iconic Broadway Stack, located at 4857 Broadway in New York City. This seven-story modular multifamily housing unit was manufactured by Deluxe Building Systems, Inc. of Berwick, Pennsylvania and designed by architecture firm Gluck+ of New York. It is one of the first modular apartment buildings to be completed in Manhattan and is a move towards more affordable housing in the city.

Modular construction was chosen for this project because it shortened the construction timeline by as much as half and cut the budget by nearly 20 percent. Offsite manufacture of the Stack allowed for an overall streamlined construction process modules arrived on site with fixtures like towel bars, cabinets, and countertops already installed. Any mechanical, electrical, and plumbing was already in place, with only connections between the modules to be completed. Manufacture of the 56 modules began at Deluxes Pennsylvania plant, while at the same time a construction crew on site began to prepare the foundation, basement, and first floor in Manhattan. After site prep and manufacture, installation of the modules took a mere 19 days, an eight-person crew, and a crane. The Stacks developer estimates he saved 6 to 8 months of construction time and 15 to 20 percent of the approximately $7 million in construction costs.

Its speedy construction and cost-savings for the developer is a potential solution to NYCs growing housing problem. The Stack is being marketed as housing for moderate income families. Additionally, six of the 28 apartments were reserved for affordable housing for families who met certain income and household size requirements. Architect Gluck+s website reads [The Stack] is a pilot project for developing a quality and economically viable housing solution to strategically rebuilding and filling gaps in outmoded housing infrastructure. Future projects like this one may even have a shorter timeline as these processes become more conventional.

Founded in 1983, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) is the only international non-profit trade association serving modular construction. Members are manufacturers, contractors, and fleet owners in two distinct segments of the industry - permanent modular construction (PMC) and relocatable buildings (RB). Our Mission: As the Voice of Commercial Modular Construction, it is MBI's mission to expand the use of offsite construction through innovative construction practices, outreach and education to the construction community and customers, and recognition of high quality modular designs and facilities.

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August 2014 Modular Building of the Month Announced by MBI

In the wake of an apartment fire in North Whitehall that killed 61 cats and two dogs, the township is going to explore whether to require annual inspections of rental properties.

The July 15 blaze at the three-story apartment building at Route 309 and Game Preserve Road displaced seven people and closed two businesses. The fire inspector said the cause was an electrical problem.

Township Manager Jeff Bartlett told the township supervisors Monday that an annual inspection of each rental property in the township would likely have turned up that the property manager who lived in the building was keeping 61 cats and two dogs. He and his wife reportedly took in abandoned cats.

The township zoning ordinance only allows six pets per home, but Bartlett and his staff don't have the authority to go into someone's home to check out such violations if they get a complaint.

With a rental property inspection ordinance, North Whitehall could hire inspection firms it now uses for new construction, Bartlett said. Those inspectors could check for such health and safety conditions as railings for porches, smoke detectors and working water and sewage.

"We are not talking about anything more than a basic health and safety inspection of the property," Bartlett said.

The inspections could be done at minimal cost, which could be passed on to the tenants, he said, adding that annual safety inspections can bring down a landlord's insurance rates.

"I'm not for over-regulating and creating ordinances just for the sake of creating ordinances," Bartlett said.

Supervisor Chairman Ronald J. Heintzelman and Supervisor Richard Celmer sounded favorably disposed to such an ordinance.

Supervisor Steve Pany said he'd want more information about how many rental properties are in the township and how they would be affected.

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North Whitehall might start inspecting rental properties

This Atlantic-to-Pacific switcheroo is a new kind of sea change.

The developer of Atlantic Yards is rebranding the controversial project as Pacific Park as it gears up to begin construction on the next apartment building.

All 298 rental units in the 18-story building, on 535 Carlton Ave. at the corner of Green St., will be set aside as affordable.

The space surrounding the 285,000-square-foot building and six adjacent structures will be converted into an 8-acre park.

Right now, its a gash in middle of Brooklyn, said Forest City Ratner spokeswoman Ashley Cotton. It will become a place people want to move, live and visit.

The developer hired an award-winning branding agency, Pentagram, to help rename the new buildings.

But one industry expert was not impressed with the new moniker.

Its not really rebranding; its just giving it a new name, said branding guru Rob Frankel.

They seem to be on the wrong coast, he added.

Construction is expected to start in December and last two years.

See the rest here:
Atlantic Yards developer renames controversial project Pacific Park

The race to provide housing for a growing population in western North Dakota got a boost today.

A 20-unit apartment building was unveiled in New Town - at the same time construction was set to begin on a second building next door.

The ribbon was cut on the Wooden Bowls Estates - a collection of one, two, and three bedroom apartments on New Town's north side.

Meanwhile, work is set to begin this month on a second, 20-unit apartment building adjacent to the first.

Tribal officials say the apartments will mean a lot in the battle to provide low-cost housing to residents of the Three Affiliated Tribes who are dealing with skyrocketing rent prices due to the oil boom.

(Ken Hall, Tribal Business Council Member) "In this area we will accommodate 40 families in these two apartment complexes and any time we can help people to meet some of their needs, it's really gratifying."

(Elgin Crows Breast, Tribal Community Development) "There's a lot of gouging around here in New Town, Watford City, Williston. It hurts the people that have been here. It hurts the people that have been living here all their lives."

The apartments carry rental prices half the cost of standard apartments in the region.

The developer of the apartment complexes says there's a dire need for low cost housing.

(Tony Krejci, Developer) "They need housing and they need affordable and quality housing out here. What I saw here in my experience - it's been very much not to standard, and we want standard housing to be built and it's got to be affordable."

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Housing Groundbreaking in New Town

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OAKLAND (CBS SF) A construction mishap appears to have caused a one-alarm fire that damaged a North Oakland apartment and displaced at least one resident Saturday morning, a fire captain said.

The blaze was reported at 10:45 a.m. at a home in the 600 block of 55th Street, according to Oakland fire Capt. Dino Torres.

Crews arriving on the scene found fire coming from the roof of a rear apartment in the three-unit residential building.

No residents were inside the apartment at the time but contractors working on the homes roof were on scene, Torres said.

Firefighters got the blaze under control in about 20 minutes and kept it from spreading to neighboring apartments within the same building, he said.

No injuries were reported.

Torres said contractors working on the buildings roof appear to have accidentally started the fire.

The fire captain said damage from the blaze is estimated at about $40,000.

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Crews Extinguish Oakland Fire Sparked By Construction Mishap

400 CUBAN CHILDREN IMMIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1960s. AND IT'S NEARLY DEMLATION DAY FOR AB APARTMENT BUILDING IN HOLLYWOOD'S YOUNG CIRCLE THAT WILL MAKE WAY FOR HIGH-RISES. THE 12-STORY HIGH-RISE APARTMENTS WILL BE IMPLODED TOMORROW TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT THAT WILL ALSO INCLUDE RETAIL SHOPS AND PLANETS PLENTY OF RESTAURANTS. LOCAL10 NEWS REPORTER CARLOS SUAREZ JOINS YOU LIVE WITH A PREVIEW. Reporter: LAURIE AND VICTOR, ONE BUILDING STANDS IN THE WAY FROM THAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT GETTING UNDERWAY. THE TOWNHOUSE APARTMENTS WILL COME DOWN TOMORROW MORNING, AND EXPLOSIVES WON'T BE USED, INSTEAD IT WILL BE GRAVITY THAT DOES MUCH OF THE WORK. DEMOLITION DAY IS ALMOST HERE COME THIS TIME TOMORROW THE REMAINING PIECE STANDING IN THE WAY OF A HOLLYWOOD CIRCLE PROJECT WILL STAND NO MORE. THE 12-STORY TOWNHOUSE APARTMENTS ON POLK STREET WILL GIVE WAY UNDER ITS WEIGHT. THIS BUILDING IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PULLED DOWN, WHAT THEY CALL A PULL DOWN INSTEAD OF USING EXPLOSIVES TO KNOCK OUT STRUCTURAL MEMBERS, WE HAVE WEAKENED THE BUILDING STRUCTURALLY AND PUT IN TEMPORARY COLUMNS, AND AS SOON AS WE GET THE BUILDING TO WHERE WE KNOW THAT GRAVITY WILL BE ABLE TO DO ITS THING. Reporter: THE TEARDOWN MAY NOT BE AS LOUD AS THE EXPLOSIVE SIGN ABOUT IT WILL BE DUSTY. THE CITY IS WARNING RESIDENT TO STAY INDOORS AND CLOSE THEIRS WINDOWS AND YOU REALLY SHOULD AVOID IT. THE TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING IS THERE TODAY TO BASICALLY TAKE A BUILDING DOWN USING ITS WEIGHT AS ACTUALLY THE EXPLOSIVE. THE BASICALLY GRAVITY IS THE NOTHING THAT TAKES IT DOWN. Reporter: NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC ON US-1 WILL DETOUR ONTO HARRISON STREET AND IF YOU'RE GOING SOUTH TO TAYLOR STREET. THE ROAD CLOSURES START A 9:30 MORNING ON SATURDAY AND RUN THROUGH 10:30 IN THE MORNING ASSUMING EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE. WE'RE BULLISH ON HOLLYWOOD. WE'RE TALKING WELL OVER $150 MILLION FOR TWO HIGH-RISES ON YOUNG CIRCLE. THE BURG WILL INCLUDE 397 APARTMENTS, RETAIL, PARKING SPOTS. A BOUTIQUE SHOP IS ALSO SLATED FOR CONSTRUCTION. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY NEW RESIDENTIAL BUILT IN THE DOWNTOWN HOLLYWOOD AREA FOR BM LUMP A DOZEN YEARS, AND WE THINK IT'S RIPE AND IT'S I. THE RIGHT TIME. Reporter: AND RIGHT AFTER THE DEMO, THE REAL WORK BEGINS. CREWS WILL HAUL AWAY DEBRIS AND CONSTRUCTION SHOULD GET UNDERWAY SOON. AGAIN, TRAFFIC IN AND AROUND YOUNG CIRCLE WILL BE SHUT DOWN AT 9:30 IN THE MORNING. THAT'S EXPECTED TO GO ON UNTIL AT LEAST 10:30 IN THE MORNING BUT THAT ALL DEPENDS ON ARE NOT LEBRON WAS ON HIS WAY EVERYTHING OUT HERE GOES ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE. LIVE TONIGHT IN HOLLYWOOD WEEK I'M CARLOS SUAREZ, LOCAL10 NEWS. VERY EXCITING, CARLOS.

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12-story apartment building to be demolished in Hollywood

The Town House Apartments, a 12-story tower on Young Circle in Hollywood, was demolished. In its place will rise a 25-story tower with 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, market and upscale shops.

HOLLYWOOD

Time to bid farewell to a familiar fixture in downtown Hollywood.

For 36 years, the 12-story Town House Apartments has occupied the north side of Young Circle.

No more.

The building at 1776 Polk St. was demolished Saturday to make way for what many are lauding as progress: Hollywood Circle, a $160 million project in the works since 2004.

The 25-story tower will house 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, upscale shops, a restaurant and 46,000-square-foot grocery store.

Developer Charles "Chip" Abele, founder of Gold Coast Florida Regional Center, expects to complete construction in 2016.

Some are happy to see the old Town House Apartments go.

"It's long overdue and it's great for the city," said Jeff Marano, a retired Hollywood officer. "It's just an eyesore. I'm glad someone is finally knocking it down."

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Longtime Hollywood apartment tower gets demolished

The Town House Apartments, a 12-story tower on Young Circle in Hollywood, was demolished. In its place will rise a 25-story tower with 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, market and upscale shops.

HOLLYWOOD

Time to bid farewell to a familiar fixture in downtown Hollywood.

For 36 years, the 12-story Town House Apartments has occupied the north side of Young Circle.

No more.

The building at 1776 Polk St. was demolished Saturday to make way for what many are lauding as progress: Hollywood Circle, a $160 million project in the works since 2004.

The 25-story tower will house 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, upscale shops, a restaurant and 46,000-square-foot grocery store.

Developer Charles "Chip" Abele, founder of Gold Coast Florida Regional Center, expects to complete construction in 2016.

Some are happy to see the old Town House Apartments go.

"It's long overdue and it's great for the city," said Jeff Marano, a retired Hollywood officer. "It's just an eyesore. I'm glad someone is finally knocking it down."

Read the original:
Longtime Hollywood apartment tower gets demolished | Photos

The Town House Apartments, a 12-story tower on Young Circle in Hollywood, was demolished. In its place will rise a 25-story tower with 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, market and upscale shops.

HOLLYWOOD

Time to bid farewell to a familiar fixture in downtown Hollywood.

For 36 years, the 12-story Town House Apartments has occupied the north side of Young Circle.

No more.

The building at 1776 Polk St. was demolished Saturday to make way for what many are lauding as progress: Hollywood Circle, a $160 million project in the works since 2004.

The 25-story tower will house 397 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, upscale shops, a restaurant and 46,000-square-foot grocery store.

Developer Charles "Chip" Abele, founder of Gold Coast Florida Regional Center, expects to complete construction in 2016.

Some are happy to see the old Town House Apartments go.

"It's long overdue and it's great for the city," said Jeff Marano, a retired Hollywood officer. "It's just an eyesore. I'm glad someone is finally knocking it down."

See the rest here:
Longtime Hollywood apartment tower meets wrecking ball

MONICA TISCHLER/Fairfax NZ

APARTMENT WRANGLE: Pietta Collins says the columns were a surprise, but the builders said they informed buyers about them.

MONICA TISCHLER/Fairfax NZ

UNWELCOME ADDITION: Two structural pillars were built into the living room and bedroom of the units.

Apartment buyer Pietta Collins says her dream new property turned into a nightmare when she found internal structural pillars that weren't identified on building plans made the flat "uninhabitable".

The Auckland woman and her husband have cancelled their contracts for two one-bedroom units in New Lynn's Merchant Quarter apartment tower, claiming misrepresentation and non-disclosure.

Vendors Tasman Cook said buyers were told about the columns.

The Collinses are waiting to see if Tasman Cook will take them to court on the basis of not accepting their cancellation.

"Our apartments are now not livable, can't be tenanted or sold without a huge loss," Collins said.

"We're stuck, it's just horrible."

See more here:
Buyers 'horrified' by apartment nightmare