No Materials Should Be Attached To Or Hanging Out Of Open Windows – And Any Cracks Or Holes, No Matter The Size, Should Be Reported Immediately

Many of you may find most of this to be common sense. Bear with me though as there is still food for thought here about the potential danger open windows pose when loose items are near or physically attached, as well as cracked glass.

1. First, at the most recent Board Meeting, following recommendations by the Rules and Regulations Commission, a Unit Owner was fined $500 for materials haphazardly attached to and hanging out of a window.

For many reasons, nothing should ever be attached to or hang out of a high-rise window. Not just because it is a violation of the governing documents (the Rules and Declaration) or that it is not pretty…case in point:

IT IS PRIMARILY A SAFETY ISSUE. Not even a piece of paper should be hanging out of a high rise window. Wind and air pressure and gravity can take hold of just about anything and turn it into a deadly or damaging object. The physics of the atmosphere around high rise structures can turn even very small things into missiles. And don’t let calm weather or no wind fool you. Gravity is always at work, and even a gentle breeze at ground level can turn into powerful gusts or unpredictable drafts aloft, turning loose items or extended objects into potential lethal projectiles for pedestrians and property below.

2. During our most recent window washing, the workers reported two different windows in two different locations to be cracked. It is not unusual for them to report problems they observe on the exterior, but it is very rare for them to find a cracked window, let alone two.

This too is primarily a safety issue. Cracked glass can spread across a pane very quickly and any cracked glass can come lose and pose a SEVERE risk of causing damage or injury. Fluctuating winds and air pressure, as well as temperature can cause the windows to expand and contract…even vibrate. This can amplify the danger, and if pieces of glass come lose and fall, it can result in death.

In 1999, a woman was walking in downtown Chicago with her grand-daughter, when a piece of glass fell from the building and nearly decapitated her.

https://www.corboydemetrio.com/newsroom-news-Death-from-Fall-of-Window

In Chicago, such a condition is referred to as an “imminently hazardous condition”, which is specifically defined as a physical flaw that has no reliable means of structural support and poses an immediate danger to people or property. Under City Ordinance, anyone aware of such a condition as it relates to a high riser structure, is responsible to take reasonable steps to have it addressed immediately. Hence the reason why the window washers report such a condition – plus, they are all to aware that falling glass from above them would not make for ideal working conditions.

In theory, residents are obligated to report such conditions without delay, as a part of their responsibility to reasonably care and maintain the unit. Once reported, management then does their part; standard operating procedure would call for a board up service to be hired to remove the glass, and temporarily board up the window with plywood. Replacement would follow, usually within a couple weeks.

In the case cited above where a woman was killed, CNA had apparently known about window problems and the need for replacements for years. The window in question was boarded up, but several other locations were known to be problematic. Here, we are committed to having board up service come out immediately – even overnight – and orders for replacement soon follow.

Nothing should ever delay this process, but in both locations recently identified by our window washers, both residents reported being aware of the condition. One resident said “it’s been like that for months”, apparently believing it not to be a big deal.

This is a big deal. The gravity and weather outside our high rise windows can make any falling object dangerous.

Please report such conditions if you ever encounter them, and don’t delay. During business hours we can be reached at 773-769-3250 or at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com. After hours call 773-769-3083.