BOMA San Francisco Members:
Let's say you're in doing a tenant improvement or a mechanical upgrade. Should the building code also require a seismic evaluation -- and possibly a retrofit -- even if your project wouldn't touch the structural system? BOMA members can contribute to the code change process by taking a survey developed by structural engineers funded by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
The 2010 California Building Code triggers upgrades in a few cases already, but some are asking whether the code should be more proactive about seismic mitigation. What role should the code play in a city's mitigation plan? Would code-triggered upgrades reduce risk or would they just discourage modernization projects? Should a seismic trigger be related to project cost? Should certain building types be exempted -- or targeted? For more about the study, contact David Bonowitz, S.E.
Click here to take their short survey about building alterations and triggered upgrades. Your input is very much appreciated.
I think it's a good idea to be proactive in this case because The Big One is coming any time soon and California is nowhere as prepared as Japan was in terms of buildings that are earthquake safe.
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