If you’ve ever walked the streets of the Big Apple, you must have seen these scaffolding and even their dark green painted wood paneling. Normal for such a large city in perpetual work? On closer inspection, however, much of this equipment does not involve buildings under construction or major renovations. And, above all, sometimes they stay there for years. So why am I there?
The explanation is found in a local New York law. The text dates back to the late 1970s, after a fatal accident involving a student who died from the fall of facade elements from the 8th floor of a building. A text completed in 1997 after another series of accidents related to buildings in poor condition. Dubbed the “scaffolding law”, this provision obliges owners of buildings of more than 6 floors to have the façade inspected by a structural engineer or architect every 5 years. And everything is very codified in the installation of these scaffolding, down to their color: a dark green called “hunter green” must be used. A meticulous inspection then takes place which requires the replacement of the slightest façade defect, prompting some owners to keep the scaffolding between two inspections to limit costs.
On average more than 260 days
A situation that is not without its drawbacks, with temporary installations that sometimes become permanent, like this scaffolding that would remain in place for 15 years. But it is above all a very expensive supply, the 8 billion dollar scaffolding industry in New York, according to the w42st website. For a few years, an interactive map allows you to permanently follow the installation of these scaffolding and the duration for which they are in place. In New York, their total number now exceeds 9,000, a figure that has tripled in 20 years. As for the average installation time, it is considerable since it exceeds 260 days.
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