In May 2016 the City of Los Angeles issued a Mandatory Retrofit program for Soft Story Apartments. These building are at risk of falling during an earthquake. The link below will explain whether or not your building needs these upgrades.

LADBS Soft-Story Retrofit Program

In 1994/1995 my brother referred an earthquake repair apartment project to me from one of his property management clients in Sherman Oaks. As we got started the design team noted the need to strip the entire building down to its studs and then seismically upgrade the entire building and bring the building up to existing code. This was a major deal for our client. Project accomplished and all parties were very happy.

Fast forward to 2016 with the city of Los Angeles issuing the required upgrade of Soft Story parking upgrades for apartment buildings. The original structural engineering firm Reiss, Brown, Ekmekji, Inc. who ran the preliminary numbers, found the new loads to be unfortunately 170% higher than those used in 1994 (based on 75% of today’s code per the ordinance). The ironic part is if you built a new building in 1994 (same exact building) and used the same values we used in the 1994 retrofit, your building would not require upgrading since the ordinance only applies to buildings with permits for new construction before 01/01/1978. This is why even our structural engineer thought the City would grant an exception but based on the cities notice they need justification to satisfy the ordinance. 

I love to design! When I am presented with a new project, I prefer to have all of the restrictive ordinances and site considerations upfront with the client program. These tell me what my design options will be. Starting the design process to soon creates unnecessary delays and negates many options. Such as: integration of elements, true sustainable design for each site, and limits the design responses to putting out the fires you now have to resolve because your design did not take into consideration the sites  program opportunities. My process is layered, scheduled, and percolated in the night as a design meeting within my mind. Then the process is turned into sketches and ultimately full construction plans. When I design this way, it invites creativity.  

This process provides a path, one step at a time, to create a development project that the client understands and appreciates. - J. Heimler

This process provides a path, one step at a time, to create a development project that the client understands and appreciates. They know why each element is designed the way that it is and the purpose it serves. This creative process works in a single direction with the least modifications. This is the efficiency that I thrive on! Well planned design, development, production, approvals, bidding, construction, and commissioning, gives our clients a leg up on other approaches to the architectural services we provide. It is not easy. This is an integrated design process that relies on all our design team to provide input in a timely manner. This keeps our clients schedules, budgets, and priorities on track. Unfortunately this process does not always go as smooth as we hope. Unexpected delays in Plan Check or Inspections can occur. But our process has greatly limited lost schedules, assisted in design opportunities, and controlled overall budgets. Our clients have appreciated this process. If you what any proof look at the quality and quantity of projects we have successfully completed over the last 30 years.

During the Christmas/New Year’s Holiday I made a trip to New Orleans. While there, I wanted to make a trip to the 9^th Ward. Being an Architect, I wanted to see how the rebuilding was coming along. I walked the neighborhood, looked at the new, refurbished, empty lots, and I sat in the new neighborhood park. Having walked around the 9^th Ward in New Orleans and experiencing the location where the levy broke was an experience. One of the best parts was speaking with a family that lived in the area.  This is where an architect really learns what the current issues are. 

The residents spoke about how some homes were designed with a flat roof and in the Louisiana climate this isn’t a very good idea. Those roofs will have to be reframed for there are many days of rain in the area. Some homes were designed without considering the wind and needed to be adjusted. After 3 years many of the new homes are uninhabitable due to toxic drywall from China: wood fascias, siding, decking, railings, rain screens that are weathering very fast, dry rotting, splintering, and separating from the buildings; and insulation is getting wet and not performing as it should.  In my opinion most of this is due to construction defects and other issues related to design and or lack of detailing. It is sad that of the few homes that have replaced the many destroyed there are so many issues. They have even put in cisterns so when there is a water issue in the future there will be water to use and they have installed Photovoltaic Electric Panels.  But because of poor planning these great ideas will not work as planned.   If the water from the river or lake overflows the cisterns they installed would be underwater and wouldn’t work. In many cases the Photovoltaic Electronic Panels they installed aren’t being utilized correctly because they were placed on a flat roof or are not facing the optimal direction. Maybe the issues pertain to how responsibility of design, construction documents, permitting, and construction administration were performed. I am not sure on this, but this is my best guess.

I go on many building and home tours on my vacations and down time. During my trip to New Orleans this year I decided to do a self guided walking home tour of the Garden District. Since almost, if not all of the homes are privately owned, you cannot see the inside of them.  So the self tour focused on the neighborhood and garden like setting that has kept its character after 150+ years.