Supporting Affordable Housing
To make housing more affordable, we must rely on some unexpected partners. Though developers play an important role, local industrial companies and workers turn visions into physical realities; having them close at hand makes it cheaper and easier to build housing--and, ultimately, to buy or rent it.
Whether constructing buildings, distributing and installing parts, managing waste and upcycling it into new products, or maintaining supporting infrastructure, industrial activities are the backbone of affordable housing.
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Manufacture of Materials
Did You Know?
Millions of components are selected into a single housing development. Concrete, ducts, beams, controls, elevators, trusses, drywall, pipes, brick, glass, boilers, ventilation systems, tubs, sinks, windows, lights, and wiring are just a few of the parts that end up in our homes.
Why it matters?
Though steel and lumber are produced elsewhere, final product manufacturing and assembly happens close to the development site: pipes and ducts must be fitted; concrete needs to be poured hours after mixing; insulation must be sized--local industrial companies must be on hand to offer custom services.
Construction by a Trained, Skilled Labor Force
Did You Know?
The actual delivery of affordable housing development requires a variety of processes, technologies and workers to bring it to life. Of course, after the final construction of the building, operational staff must also have the materials, supply chains, technologies, and skills to maintain it.
Why it matters?
Every component of the construction life cycle requires a labor force that enters with basic skills, practice on equipment, and on-the-job experience to safely put technical skills into practice. To achieve skills mastery, apprentices need the right training support, without it, the talent pipeline is further compromised.
Starting construction begins with deconstruction
Did You Know?
In a dense city like New York, finding empty sites to develop new housing from scratch is rare. It’s often necessary to use a contractor to demolish or deconstruct an existing structure to make room for the next, and add more apartments that provide more up-to-code living spaces.
Why it matters?
Controlled demolitions are critical for the environment. By applying thoughtful demolition efforts, it allows demolition debris to go back into use. Where some local industrial businesses can recycle materials, and others can put fully intact components to immediate reuse, reducing the debris from entering the landfill.
Thoughtful material disposal and recycling
Did You Know?
Broken down components from the demolition of old buildings can be recycled. Beams can be turned into scrap metal, wood can be chipped for landscaping, brick can be crushed into aggregate, and stone into concrete. Nearly 90% of these components can be recycled and used for new building materials.
Why it matters?
Having Industrial spaces in NYC keeps each step of the construction cycle closer to the next, reduces process costs, smoothens the supply chain, and greens the construction. When waste is processed close by, it’s chances of reuse in a nearby development site increase, lowering the emissions of transport.
Materials Staging
Did You Know?
Before construction can begin, there is a critical step called staging, where an area is set up for metal and other large building materials are unloaded from trailers, arranged for final assembly, and organized to be elevated.
Why it matters?
When materials are staged off-site and trucked in by trailers to a job site, it adds additional dimensions to the pre-planning and construction process. Having space for staging areas as close to a construction site as possible reduces costs and operational frictions. Without adequate industrial space in NYC, these costs and frictions are exacerbated.
Reliable Infrastructure
Did You Know?
Whether by truck, barge, flatbed, crane, or concrete mixer, the means of transporting and storing materials and equipment to and from a construction site must be efficient---and they require industrial skill sets, which are much more nuanced than driving your average sedan.
Why it matters?
Construction projects rely on infrastructure that not only depends on the roads, bridges, rail, and waterways, but also the electric grid, plumbing, and sewage system. If hindered, the industrial sector will be unable to repair and maintain the systems, and project costs and delays go up.