NYCHA Completes Roof Fans Project
Over the past two years, NYCHA’s Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation (OMAR) replaced 6,188 roof fans across the Authority. Engineers determined that the balance of NYCHA’s roof fans – 2,248 roof fans – are fully functional and safe and can be left in place.
The roof fans replacement project is part of a larger ventilation modernization program that includes roof fan replacement, damper (i.e., duct valve) replacement, and the Clean Vents Initiative.
Daniel Greene, Senior Vice President for Healthy Homes, said the project completion is a major accomplishment for the OMAR team: “It gives better ventilation to residents, potentially preventing moisture in bathrooms and kitchens. This is going to be a sea change for residents in terms of getting improved airflow and reducing mold in general.”
The project took about two years to complete and involved several NYCHA departments; third-party vendors; an independent, court-appointed mold analyst; and the Federal Monitor’s team.
Elena Tenchikova, Senior Director of OMAR, said her team was excited to reach this significant milestone: “Operational roof fans exhaust the air from the room and are a critical part of ensuring ventilation is working properly to prevent mold. This project required a lot of moving parts, including coordination with engineers, the asbestos team, the manufacturing company, and installation vendors. We are happy to accomplish this and to make sure residents have a healthier indoor environment.”
The project was launched during the peak of the pandemic and overcame several challenges, such as procurement difficulties and pandemic-related delays. Sherif Ibrahim, OMAR’s Administrator Project Manager, worked on the project from day one and said the biggest challenge was asbestos – more than 53 percent of the old NYCHA roof fans had it. “We had to follow the rules and procedures to abate the asbestos, remove the fan, and replace it,” said Mr. Ibrahim. “The new material we’ve used is durable. It will ensure better air quality for our residents.”
OMAR Construction Project Manager Yaarub Aljendi and his colleague Shaheeda Santiago performed mostly behind-the-scenes work to bring the project to fruition and ensure it ran smoothly. “We had many contracts for the roof fans project, and we had to make sure that every vendor delivered everything as per contract,” Mr. Aljendi explained. “It was a very complex project run during the pandemic with lots of moving parts.”
The roof fan replacement process involved multiple steps: engineering, asbestos assessment, roof fan manufacturing, and installation. Vincent Nastro, Resident Building Superintendent, is one of several roof fan replacement specialists who worked closely with the vendors and development property management to ensure an efficient replacement process. Mr. Nastro assisted with replacing over 2,500 fans across the city. “On fan installation day, we surveyed the fans, removed the old fan, made necessary repairs, and installed the new and improved roof fans,” explained Mr. Nastro. “I feel good knowing that this will foster a safe and mold-free environment for residents.”
Click here to watch a video about the project and here for more details.
