Innovation Challenge Competitions - Buildings

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Innovation

NEW...Innovation Review Board

Pursuant to Title 28 of the NYC Administrative Code, Section 103.1.3, the Department's Innovation Review Board (IRB) will provide a formal opportunity for DOB and industry representatives to work together to review and evaluate cutting-edge technologies along with energy-reducing and sustainable technologies. The IRB will seek to make reviews more efficient, streamline the approval of certain approvals, and foster inter-agency agreements. The IRB will convene to:

review specific projects that propose to employ new technologies, design or construction techniques, materials, or products, now including products referred from the Office of Technical Certification and Research (OTCR), to be used at job sites, during plan examination, and for use by DOB Inspectors

review proposals for approval of and to initiate reviews of such technologies, design or construction techniques, materials or products in order to determine their economic, operational, environmental and sustainability benefits

make recommendations as to under what conditions and for what purposes each may be safely employed in New York City, and

streamline approvals of specific innovative projects.

If the IRB sounds like a fit for you, apply for Innovation Review Board Committee Membership. Deadline to apply is February 8, 2025. For general questions and/or comments, contact the IRB at innovation@buildings.nyc.gov.

Innovation Challenges

In 2020, the New York City Department of Buildings hosted the agency’s first-ever Innovation Challenges, inviting the public to submit ideas to increase energy efficiency among buildings and to improve building and worker safety. Launched in partnership with the Urban Tech Hub @ Company, members of the design, construction, and technology industries were invited to submit their ideas on ways to increase building sustainability and to modernize the development process in New York City.

Members from DOB’s in-house Innovation Committee and a special panel of judges comprised of experts from the private sector selected the winners based on feasibility, impact, and innovation.

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2021 Innovation Challenge&nbsp

Building on the success of our first-ever Hack the Building Code innovation challenge held last year, DOB is once again sought ideas on the best ways to improve how we design, construct and maintain our city of over 1.1 million buildings.

Submissions for the challenge incorporated a wide range of ideas, including new technologies, resiliency standards, building sustainability, construction site safety, public safety, public quality of life issues, removing inefficiencies in the development process, and modernizing construction techniques. Get more information on the 2021 Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge.

2021 Hack the Building Code Challenge Winners

SAFERISE HOISTWAY SAFETY
A standardized, reusable, and lockable barrier that would prevent worker and material falls in elevator and other shaftways.

SAFETY NETTING IN SHAFTWAYS
A Code change to require horizontal safety netting to be installed every thirty feet in open shaftways

NOYA 'DIRECT AIR CAPTURE'
Technology retrofitting cooling towers to capture carbon emissions from building HVAC systems.

FUTURE INSIGHT/AORA AUTOMATIC PERMITTING
Accelerate the building permit approval process via the submission of BIM drawings that could be checked automatically against Existing Building Codes.

KWANT.AI WORKER SAFETY PLATFORM
Utilize a network of smart badges, sensors, and mobile-phone alerts to track workers' locations and enable automated headcounts, store and display site safety/training certificates and other compliance documents, alert site personnel when falls or other safety hazards occur, and collect data for predictive analytics.

See video of the winning Challenge proposals!

Honorable Mentions

TRACFLO
This tool will allow trade contractors to has access to a broader array on Tool Box Talks, allow multiple languages, automate logs to help them track compliance, and digital records to be share with any member of the project.

SKILLSIGNAL
Construction risk management application to increase job site safety, Code compliance, field productivity, collaboration, security, and efficiency.

2021 Innovation Challenge Competition Panel of Judges

Daniel Avery, Building Owners & Managers Association New York (BOMA NY)

Gina Bocra, RA, Chief Sustainability Officer, NYC Department of Buildings

Sean Brennan, Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater NY (BCTC)

Raymond Daddazio, American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACECNY)

Danielle Delahanty, Code Development, NYC Department of Buildings

Anthony Fiore, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services

Jonathan Hernandez, Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY)

Robert Holub, RA, Code & Zoning Interpretation, NYC Department of Buildings

Stefan Knust, LEED AP, WELL AP, CPHC, AIA NY

John Lee, RA, Independent Contractor (representing NYSERDA)

John Mandyck, Urban Green Council

Patrick O'Donnell, PE, NYC EEC

Nick Petrakis, PE, NYC Fire Department

Alan Price, PE, Office of Technical Certification & Research, NYC Department of Buildings

Donald Ranshte, Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA)

Gus (Constadino) Sirakis, PE, First Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings

Zachary Steinberg, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)

Wendy Wan, RA, Code & Zoning Interpretation, NYC Department of Buildings

2020 Innovation Challenges

Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge

The Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge launched to find ideas and highlight new technologies designed to help cut carbon emissions and boost energy efficiency in New York City buildings. The Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge winners were showcased at the Department's Digital 2020: Safety, Innovation & Sustainability Conference.

Carbon Neutrality Challenge Winners

HYDROMYX, INC.
Hydromyx® is the first commercially viable and academically recognized Efficient Heat Transfer Nanofluid in the World for hydronic closed-loop cooling and heating systems. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-017)

RADIATOR LABS
The Radiator Labs’ Cozy platform is a uniquely enabling proprietary system of smart, insulated radiator covers networked to central boiler control. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-018)

WEXENERGY
WindowSkin helps building owners reduce energy consumption, heating and cooling costs, carbon footprint and improves occupant comfort while deferring expensive window replacements which often carry paybacks of 75+ years. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-014)

ZINC8 ENERGY SOLUTIONS, INC.
Zinc-air Energy Storage System allows site owners to offset peak demand, reduce time-of-use charges, and participate in the value stacking programs and the distributed long-duration energy storage space. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2019-002)

Get more information on the 2020 Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge and see video of the winning Carbon Neutrality Challenge proposals.

Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge

The Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge sought ideas for practical steps the City can take to improve the safety of buildings and workers, and to modernize the construction process. The Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge winners were showcased at the Department's Digital 2020: Safety, Innovation & Sustainability Conference.

Hack the Building Code Challenge Winners

AJUSTCO ANCHOR THREAD
The Anchor Thread greatly reduces the need to drill in newly poured concrete by providing a ready to use anchor point available for use immediately upon stripping form work. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-016)

a ROBOTICS Company
The Imager Robot allows for faster, safer, and better façade inspections. Easily transported and installed, the robot needs only two operators who can perform more than 4 drops per day on a typical 25 story building. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-013)

CEC ELEVATOR CAB CORP STERILYFT
Sterilyft was developed as an unmatched risk mitigation system for the purification and sterilization of the interior elevator air to remove air impurities and pathogens from the air providing a safe and healthy elevator use for all passengers. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-015)

T2D2
Tool for autonomous detection and classification of façade damage and deterioration from photographic and video images. (OTCR/Buildings Bulletin 2021-012)

Get more information on the 2020 Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge and see video of the winning Hack the Building Code Challenge proposals.

2020 Innovation Challenges Competition Panel of Judges

Daniel Avery, Building Owners & Managers Association New York (BOMA NY)

Gina Bocra, RA, Chief Sustainability Officer, NYC Department of Buildings

Sean Brennan, Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater NY (BCTC)

Raymond Daddazio, American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACECNY)

Anthony Fiore, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services

Jonathan Hernandez, Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY)

Robert Holub, RA, Code & Zoning Interpretation, NYC Department of Buildings

Jill Hrubecky, PE, Investigative Engineering Services, NYC Department of Buildings

Shaji Joseph, NYC Fire Department

John Lee, RA, Independent Contractor (representing NYSERDA)

John Mandyck, Urban Green Council

Clare Miflin, RA, Think Woven - AIA NY Committee on the Environment

Patrick O'Donnell, PE, NYC EEC

Nick Petrakis, PE, NYC Fire Department

Alan Price, PE, Office of Technical Certification & Research, NYC Department of Buildings

Donald Ranshte, Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA)

Gus (Constadino) Sirakis, PE, First Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings

Zachary Steinberg, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)

Wendy Wan, RA, Code & Zoning Interpretation, NYC Department of Buildings

Steven Zirinsky, RA, AIA NY