The cross laminated timber stuff is exciting next level building tech in it's infancy, think cool artsy buildings in Sweden. The podium building we are talking about looks like good old two by fours and two by tens nailed together by framing crews with big nail guns. Albeit probably w trusses and some LVL s in the mix. I think the tenement comparison is a bit much, people in tenements didn't have hot running water, refrigerators and AC, much less pools and gymnasiums and one bedroom apartments all to themselves. I agree w you, to an extent. It would be nice to see the six story concrete apartment blocks that seem to predominate in Europe, but the country is having a housing crisis. Yes the evil developers will make money, they aren't philanthropists, but lots of apartments are going up all over town. So something is working? I wonder how much of this has to do w bringing residential construction to commercial rental world in terms of enabling immigrant labor in the mix. These folks work very very hard , no union coffee breaks or paid holidays. Sad, but capitalism ain't always pretty.

They aren't timber frame , they're platform framed out of dimensional lumber, not as robust as concrete or steel, but keep it dry ( exterior maintenance) and it should hold up fine. People need places to live and i assume this cuts building expense , not having the heavy duty steel i beam or concrete construction. It won't last as long as pyramids but it doesn't need to. And there are very old wood structures around, i feel like the longevity of a building has a lot to do with care and upkeep. I work in the fan on old houses and i assure you it takes a huge budget and an army of tradespeople to keep those things from totally falling apart. The new apartment buildings probably aren't meant to last a hundred years, they can always be pulled down and rebuilt. Who knows how people will want to use the space that far in the future? Not sure what glue you mean, like in the plywood?

Caravan Clinic of Bon Secours Been around many years, they set up at local churches Staff there is very dedicated Source: i volunteer there

While the fan is not manufactured to the extent of a literal tourist attraction, very strict historic preservation rules and monies interests have effectively frozen the neighborhood in time, there is a case to be made that this is not a long term healthy condition for urban areas which historically are very dynamic.

I agree, that's why y'all need a nice new school pronto to keep up the good work!

No. No, it doesn't need to be explained. We all know the new structure must meet modern codes. My point is that doing that inside an antiquated burnt out hulk may prove more challenging, expensive and lengthy than simply razing the ruin that is there now and starting fresh, in order ( as i said , in all seriousness) to better serve the educators and students who deserve a great school, in the near future. As a city tax payer whose home assessment nearly doubled in the last two years, i take the matter seriously and was offering a serious opinion , as a contractor who has worked on old homes in the area for decades, this will probably be an expensive shit show , all to save a building that has always been ugly , just to placate the gentrified gentry who don't want anything to change in the fan, ever. Take that, you scold!

Houses there are going in the high 8s to low 9s. As in 880,000 to 925,000 There are more modest folks there who bought years ago, but anyone who has bought in the last few years is doing pretty well I would say, or has sold property in a more expensive market, which is the same thing.

I think it would make sense to tear down what little is left of the school and replace it with an up to date up to code modern facility. I think this would best serve the kids and teachers. But the Fan isnt a neighborhood so much as it is Historic Williamsburg type theme park for the very wealthy. And gosh do they like their old and quaint. So grab some popcorn or maybe a lot, and watch the incredible shit show of trying to build a modern facility inside that brick husk that remains, and which by the way is ugly.