Reading List 11/14/2026
A Brooklyn building collapse, BAAJA’s odds of passing, reusing old memory in new phones, a nationwide aircraft ground stop, and more.
A 3-story building in New York partially collapsed into an adjacent construction site, resulting in the tragic loss of 8 lives and 18 injuries. This unfortunate incident serves as a stark reminder that despite the burdensome nature of various building regulations, they serve a crucial purpose. While these regulations can sometimes be seen as excessive, particularly in heavily regulated cities like New York, they are not without reason.
However, this does not mean that we should dismiss the need to evaluate these code requirements. An article in the Washington Post argues that many regulations mandating upgrades for electrical panels to accommodate higher load devices are often unnecessary. The authors highlight that outdated industry practices and outdated electrical codes regularly result in recommendations for panel upgrades when adding appliances such as induction stoves, heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers.
These upgrades can be costly, with a median price of $3,500 and potentially triple or quadruple that in certain settings, deterring some energy-efficient upgrades and making projects more expensive for those who proceed.
Nevertheless, some researchers suggest that panel upgrades are almost always unnecessary. A report released this year found that 98 percent of homes with 100-ampere panels, the smallest common size, have sufficient space to add popular electronic devices.
Written by urgent.news from Construction Physics's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
