Build in Airshaft?
There is an internal air shaft in my building that runs from basement to roof. (vent w/skylight on roof) My upstairs neighbors built a pantry into the air shaft so now it is 90% blocked with just a small space for electrical wires to run the length of building. Is this legal or fire hazard?…
There is an internal air shaft in my building that runs from basement to roof. (vent w/skylight on roof) My upstairs neighbors built a pantry into the air shaft so now it is 90% blocked with just a small space for electrical wires to run the length of building. Is this legal or fire hazard? I’m not sure how to address it as current owners did not build it they bought the apt that way.
Feedback is much appreciated.
Happy Holidays.
As my post seems to be generating some interesting thoughts I’m happy to elaborate.
The air shaft does run from basement to roof. There is a skylight on top and I’ve been told it vents though have not seen it myself as people in duplex above me have exclusive roof rights.
Our building, while not a brownstone, is a brick multi-family built in 1901. The air shaft in question runs the length of building. On one side of it is a little closet (was told it once was a dumbwaiter) that opens into my apt and serves as a linen closet. It is original from what I can tell as inside the airshaft the back of it is lined with some sort of metal (?) To one side is the bathroom which has a window that easily open to see into the air shaft and back of dumb-waiter. The other side of the dumbwaiter has a walk-in closet that has identical little window opposite the one in the bathroom. So the air shaft has back of dumb waiter on 1 side, 2 sides have little windows that open into it and the 4th side is the side of our building which is flush to our neighbor’s brownstone.
I plan to speak with all neighbors regarding fire hazard problem with my bathroom venting etc after the new year.
Thanks to all for input
or just cut a hole in the pantry and steal food.
air shafts between buildings are one thing. Those are on the exterior of a building and are open to the sky. This poster seems to be describing something that sounds like an internal airshaft with a skylight. I have occassionally seen this in houses, but I doubt it is legal in a multiple dwelling.
Minard, I highly doubt the air shaft itself is against code. Most of the old buildings around here have such shafts, often carved out of space between adjoining buildings.
an airshaft like this, in a multiple dwelling, sounds like it is against code to begin with. It also sounds gross. The DOB will fine the co-op or condo association not just your upstairs neighbor. It may also impose a deadline for bringing the building up to code. Best for the building to hire an architect and figure it out. As I wrote in my previous post, these kinds of shafts are not a good thing.
If it is needed for bathroom venting, a proper vent should be installed with smoke dampers on each floor. Probably better to seal the shaft and duct through the ceiling on each floor out to an exterior wall.
I hate to tell you, but there will be no reasoning with them. It sounds like it is a ventilation shaft, unless your bathroom vents into it improperly. If your bathroom has a window in it then that might be the case. In your first post it sounded like it was only an electrical shaft. Either way the fire proofing needs to be maintained. Did the architect ever pull a permit for the work? If not, he was must likely not licensed and so not an architect. There are few instances that a permit is not requried to be pulled. Moving the wall would have requried the permit, but if the building did not require it and no one complained… This is why you see fires in buildings that kill so many people.
So there was no opposition when it was constructed by the prior owner? If other units are using it to vent their bathrooms, I would suspect that the vented air would be backing up into any inactive vent. I would speak to the other owners and try to reason with the new owners. You might even have to split the cost of correcting this amonst all the other units.
Is it an airshaft or a dumbwaiter?
In either case, the best thing to do is to block it on each story, top and bottom, with two layers of fire-rated sheetrock. Otherwise, you have a smoke chimney that can fill your apartment with smoke if there is a fire below. It can also accelarate the spread of fire. Making this space into a closet is probably a good idea. Also make sure that any opening into it is bricked-in the basement. Eventually when you re-roof, you can eliminate the skylight which is just a source for leaks.
Airshafts or dumbwaiters like this are really not a good thing.
I would advise you not to get the city involved as there is always the potential for more trouble than you bargained for.
Call 311 or call the fire dept.
It is not legal. The shafts are there for a reason and the reason is ventilation. I would make a big stink about it.
Either tell the LL or call the fire dept.