Real Estate News

Buildings Commissioner Elevated to Fellowship Status in the American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently announced that New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner, Patricia J. Lancaster, FAIA, has been elected to the College of Fellows. The AIA selects architects for elevation to fellowship because of their notable contributions to the advancement of architecture. Of the approximate 70,000 national members of the AIA, less than 2,500 (3.5%) have been elected to the fellowship.

Appointed as the Commissioner for the New York City Department of Buildings by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in April 2002, Ms. Lancaster is the Chief Administrator for the Department that regulates the safety of the more than 900,000 buildings and properties in New York City. The Department is responsible for issuing over 87,000 building permits and performing 350,000 inspections per year. The Commissioner is also responsible for implementing the first strategic plan in the history of the Department and adopting a new building code for the City. She has also been the driving force behind making the Department more transparent to the public by putting the Building Information System on the web where it is now receiving 200,000 page hits daily.

Commissioner Lancaster said, "It's a great honor to be recognized by my peers for my contributions to the public sector. Through continuous collaboration with the AIA and the Department of Buildings, I hope we can make New York City a better place to live, work and build."

Commissioner Lancaster received her Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Washington at Seattle. She remains active in the field of education, serving on the faculty of the Real Estate Institute at New York University. In 2003, she was named "Mentor of the Year (Public Sector)" by ACE, the mentoring program for students interested in architecture, construction and engineering. She was also given the Founders' Award by the Salvadori Educational Center in Harlem. Commissioner Lancaster is also a Fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine and a Fellow at the Urban Institute for Design.

In 2003, Ms. Lancaster was given the Industry Honor Award (public category) by the Society of Marketing Professionals, Inc., and she also received the Association of Real Estate Women's "Outstanding Achievement Award" at AREW's 25th Anniversary Gala. In November 2003, the Commissioner was also named "Woman of the Year" by the Associated Builders and Owners. In 2000, Real Estate Weekly named her one of the top 100 Women in Real Estate, and in 1996 the group Professional Women in Construction named her Woman of the Year.

In addition to being a registered architect, Ms. Lancaster is also a licensed real estate broker. Her other achievements include the 2001 publication of her book, Construction in Cities: Social, Environmental, Political and Economic Concerns.

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	Did You Know?
	A Reverse mortgage is also known as HECM Section 255: Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (Reverse Mortgages, a.k.a. HECM) allows a borrower aged 62 and older to borrow against the equity in a property that has limited outstanding debt. A subject property under this program must be an existing one-to four-unit dwelling in which the mortgagor occupies one of the units. It may be a condo if in a FHA approved project. Manufactured homes are eligible if the home complies with outstanding FHA guidance.