Located in Los Angeles County, lies the glamorous Culver City. It was built on the MGM lot, which dates back to 1924. The area has a rich movie making history and an always hopping nightlife. Culver City features trendy gastro pubs, world class inspired restaurants, and a variety of cocktail lounges. If you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating world of movie making, Sony Pictures Studios offers tours of their soundstage. But, don’t forget that Culver City is in California and that means it is affected by earthquakes. For this reason, the town falls under the Los Angeles city’s soft-story retrofit program that must be completed by 2022.
On January 17, 1994, a vicious earthquake rocked the greater Los Angeles area. Over 60 people died and over 9,000 people were injured. Buildings crumbled and infrastructure was demolished. Culver City, and the rest of California, has never been a stranger to earthquakes. They are an unfortunate reality, and it is not a matter of if, but when, the next one will hit. Important changes have been made to the building codes so that the widespread destruction that happened in 1994 can be prevented. To help preserve the structure of your property it is important that you find a trusted soft-story retrofit contractor in Culver City.
What is a Soft Story Building?
There are many types of buildings and it can be confusing to know just what kind you own or live in. One of the most common is a soft story building. These buildings have three, or more, stories. They also have a ground floor that is open, usually a commercial space that has windows and doors. It could also include a parking garage. The main categorization of a soft story building is that it is built above ground level.
After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, soft story buildings were identified as being particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. This is because there might not be enough support at the bottom of the building to support higher floors. In many buildings constructed before 1994, the upper floors collapsed in on the bottom floor.
There are many solutions to retrofitting a soft story building. One option could be creating more shear walls that are better able to prop up existing floors. Or, if these walls already exist, they could be further re-enforced. As for parking garages, they may need extra steel beams or more columns to add more support.
Whatever the modifications your building needs, you don’t have to worry about the details. Retrofitting 360, a reliable retrofit contractor in Culver City, are experts when it comes to soft-story structures. They have years of training and experience to help make sure your building is able to withstand any future earthquakes. Remember, that while the soft story retrofit program is mandatory, it is done so with your safety in mind. Soft story buildings were hit hard in the 1994 earthquake. It’s important that when the next big one happens, your tenants or workers will be protected inside your building.
The process
Los Angeles city officials spent quite a bit of time coming up with a plan to protect citizens and owners from the destruction seen in 1994. All buildings in the Culver City area were surveyed and notices were sent out to those affected by the new policies. If you have received a notice, be sure to contact a professional contractor who has experience with seismic retrofits. A contractor, such as Retrofitting 360, will start by conducting an in-depth survey of your building. They will see what can be salvaged and what needs to be re-built.
Two driving factors in any building project are time and money. That is why Retrofitting 360 will work with you to create a plan that everyone can agree with. When you have a qualified contractor by your side you don’t need to know all of the technical details of building codes and permits. Your Retrofitting 360 professional will take care of all of this for you.
Your contractor will apply for all the necessary permits and make sure the job is done efficiently, but that it is still cost effective. Construction noise will be kept to a minimum and parking won’t be obstructed. We want to ensure that you and your building’s tenants will continue to enjoy their daily activities.
Once construction has been completed, the city will need to send out an inspector who will sign off on the project. We will do our best, so that there are no surprises at the end. Remember that the deadline for completion is 2022. Make sure you contact a professional today.
