Stephen Jacob Smith
@stephenjacobsmith.com
Executive director of the Center for Building in North America, stephen@centerforbuilding.org. Personal account. Brooklyn, NY.
Sidewalk sheds in Bucharest are rare, but when you find them, a) they don’t extend over the whole sidewalk (NYC’s facade deaths all happened directly next to the facade too!), b) there is no no huge green outboard parapet wall, and c) there’s scaffolding above because there’s actually work ongoing
December 26, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Sidewalk sheds in Bucharest are rare, but when you find them, a) they don’t extend over the whole sidewalk (NYC’s facade deaths all happened directly next to the facade too!), b) there is no no huge green outboard parapet wall, and c) there’s scaffolding above because there’s actually work ongoing
The “close door” button in this French elevator actually works. You can change settings in a US elevator to make them work too, I think it’s just way cheaper in Europe to do it (US union contracts and maybe codes ban remote parameter changes, and bringing somebody out to do it manually is $600+/hr)
December 26, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The “close door” button in this French elevator actually works. You can change settings in a US elevator to make them work too, I think it’s just way cheaper in Europe to do it (US union contracts and maybe codes ban remote parameter changes, and bringing somebody out to do it manually is $600+/hr)
Those French winding stairs that look so dangerous on plans actually feel totally natural when you’re walking on them. I’ve heard that in France, they’re considered safer than straight runs, since there’s a wall close by to break your fall. Would be nice for somebody to do some ergonomics research.
December 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Those French winding stairs that look so dangerous on plans actually feel totally natural when you’re walking on them. I’ve heard that in France, they’re considered safer than straight runs, since there’s a wall close by to break your fall. Would be nice for somebody to do some ergonomics research.
Once I texted my friend who works for a water company in Colorado a photo of a messy trench in NYC and she said, “Please tell me that’s Romania.” Here is an actual Romanian trench, with hot water (not steam – this is a NYC pathology) for district heating, much neater:
December 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Once I texted my friend who works for a water company in Colorado a photo of a messy trench in NYC and she said, “Please tell me that’s Romania.” Here is an actual Romanian trench, with hot water (not steam – this is a NYC pathology) for district heating, much neater:
Love how they stamped the standard onto the manhole cover, real CEN-CENELEC supremacy. This one is numbered EN124-2, titled “Gully tops and manhole tops for vehicular and pedestrian areas – Part 2: Gully tops and manhole tops made of cast iron.”
December 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Love how they stamped the standard onto the manhole cover, real CEN-CENELEC supremacy. This one is numbered EN124-2, titled “Gully tops and manhole tops for vehicular and pedestrian areas – Part 2: Gully tops and manhole tops made of cast iron.”
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
Also literally confirmed by the VP of conductors like they need to defeat the union head because he's throwing his guys under the bus !
December 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Also literally confirmed by the VP of conductors like they need to defeat the union head because he's throwing his guys under the bus !
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
Tagging @samd.bsky.social because you literally called this very incident when the TWU head said conductors are for security when whoops their job isn't
December 26, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Tagging @samd.bsky.social because you literally called this very incident when the TWU head said conductors are for security when whoops their job isn't
Funny thing about the pope’s Christmas message is that every time the pope mentions a place, the Vatican News camera person zooms in on a person in the crowd who looks like they could be – but is likely not – from that place.
December 25, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Funny thing about the pope’s Christmas message is that every time the pope mentions a place, the Vatican News camera person zooms in on a person in the crowd who looks like they could be – but is likely not – from that place.
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
Some Christmas Eve content from Chicago’s 2nd ward alderman
December 25, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Some Christmas Eve content from Chicago’s 2nd ward alderman
Kinda funny how everybody with an HGTV show is either homophobically Christian, or gay.
December 25, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Kinda funny how everybody with an HGTV show is either homophobically Christian, or gay.
He really said “End of once sentence.Start of another.”
It’s actually incredible how little juice the Republican running against Hochul has. just boomer crimeslop-posting
December 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
He really said “End of once sentence.Start of another.”
The evolution of building rules in Paris, from 1667 to 1967. The Great Downzoning was truly global. hal.science/hal-01903202...
December 25, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The evolution of building rules in Paris, from 1667 to 1967. The Great Downzoning was truly global. hal.science/hal-01903202...
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
The effective interest rate on all mortgage debt outstanding rose another 9bps sequentially to 4.20% in Q3, the highest since Q2 2012. From the standpoint of all mortgage debt outstanding, monetary policy continues to tighten:
December 24, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The effective interest rate on all mortgage debt outstanding rose another 9bps sequentially to 4.20% in Q3, the highest since Q2 2012. From the standpoint of all mortgage debt outstanding, monetary policy continues to tighten:
The concept of chained point access blocks is so ingrained in Romania that it’s part of the official address hierarchy – street name, house number, and stair (scară)
December 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
The concept of chained point access blocks is so ingrained in Romania that it’s part of the official address hierarchy – street name, house number, and stair (scară)
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
2 stacks can be used here for this entire 1240 sf dwelling unit, which is next level efficiency. Since this is in Switzerland, the single stack (Hauptentlüftung) will be used here as well - no vent piping except at the top floor!
December 24, 2025 at 8:19 AM
2 stacks can be used here for this entire 1240 sf dwelling unit, which is next level efficiency. Since this is in Switzerland, the single stack (Hauptentlüftung) will be used here as well - no vent piping except at the top floor!
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
Jones Act for drones will surely help build an domestic commercial industry right? Just like shipbuilding?
My quick and dirty thoughts on Trump's short-sighted, stupid, and self-defeating ban on foreign made drones.
Banning foreign drones won't make us safer. Instead, it'll encourage people to build their own drones - which are way harder to track and to control.
Banning foreign drones won't make us safer. Instead, it'll encourage people to build their own drones - which are way harder to track and to control.
The USA Bans Foreign-Made Drones, in Trump's Grand Idiot Tradition
It's December 23rd, and the USA has officially banned the import of all foreign made drones and "critical components."
Here's a very quick and dirty run-down of my thoughts.
Although if you'd like t...
little-flying-robots.ghost.io
December 24, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Jones Act for drones will surely help build an domestic commercial industry right? Just like shipbuilding?
He explicitly recognizes the tension here between wanting high home values and wanting people to be able to afford to buy houses, but then barrels forward and says he wants it anyway
Trump: If we build more housing, the price of homes will go down, and homeowners will lose their wealth.
December 24, 2025 at 8:19 AM
He explicitly recognizes the tension here between wanting high home values and wanting people to be able to afford to buy houses, but then barrels forward and says he wants it anyway
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
Angling for the coveted John Samuelsen nativist endorsement with policy ignorance. Will TWU leadership fall for it and back an anti-labor Republican?
December 24, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Angling for the coveted John Samuelsen nativist endorsement with policy ignorance. Will TWU leadership fall for it and back an anti-labor Republican?
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
good lord they’re so triggered by democrats trying to make the MTA run more efficiently and provide more service that they’re going to endorse literal fascists
December 24, 2025 at 5:34 AM
good lord they’re so triggered by democrats trying to make the MTA run more efficiently and provide more service that they’re going to endorse literal fascists
Surprising that social housing in Vincennes (inner suburb of Paris – long schlep to the Métro/RER, but then it's a very quick ride anywhere) is built with two stories of underground parking on such a small lot. This must've added so much cost to this project. www.archdaily.com/1037095/24-s...
December 23, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Surprising that social housing in Vincennes (inner suburb of Paris – long schlep to the Métro/RER, but then it's a very quick ride anywhere) is built with two stories of underground parking on such a small lot. This must've added so much cost to this project. www.archdaily.com/1037095/24-s...
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
#Berlin makes losses in the millions on its ... residential parking permits. Because the price of about €10 per year is lower than the costs to the administration (which is about €42). www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/koste...
Kosten für Verwaltung sind viel höher als Einnahmen: Berlin macht Millionenverlust mit Anwohnerparkausweisen
Bei jedem neu ausgestellten Anwohnerparkausweis zahlt das Land drauf – und zwar immer mehr. Auch, weil der Preis seit 2008 nicht erhöht wurde. Bringt das angekündigte Parkkonzept der CDU bald die Wend...
www.tagesspiegel.de
October 13, 2025 at 6:02 PM
#Berlin makes losses in the millions on its ... residential parking permits. Because the price of about €10 per year is lower than the costs to the administration (which is about €42). www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/koste...
Just finished telling somebody US governments are pennywise/pound foolish on building code development – we save millions outsourcing the code-writing to the private orgs, then pay billions to meet their overkill requirements. Looks like that happened with DOGE too. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Just finished telling somebody US governments are pennywise/pound foolish on building code development – we save millions outsourcing the code-writing to the private orgs, then pay billions to meet their overkill requirements. Looks like that happened with DOGE too. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Reposted by Stephen Jacob Smith
"Facility planning has lagged behind its fleet planning by about 15 years even though the two efforts are closely interconnected."
!!!
And the result is more delays to the Acela IIs, sigh. h/t @airlineflyer.net
!!!
And the result is more delays to the Acela IIs, sigh. h/t @airlineflyer.net
Amtrak Faces More Delays Rolling Out New Trains
Failure to upgrade maintenance facilities in time means the railroad will probably have to idle some new trains, federal inspectors said.
www.wsj.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:38 PM
"Facility planning has lagged behind its fleet planning by about 15 years even though the two efforts are closely interconnected."
!!!
And the result is more delays to the Acela IIs, sigh. h/t @airlineflyer.net
!!!
And the result is more delays to the Acela IIs, sigh. h/t @airlineflyer.net
Car elevator down to the garage of a new building on my grandma’s street
December 23, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Car elevator down to the garage of a new building on my grandma’s street
When we retake power, we should do this for states that let children and the elderly drive aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-...
December 23, 2025 at 3:19 PM
When we retake power, we should do this for states that let children and the elderly drive aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-...