SMa.rt Column: The Urgent Need to Modernize Earthquake Suffering Buildings, Part Two

Santa Monica’s earthquake retrofit ordinances are being bypassed by some building owners, and the city may have trouble enforcing these ordinances and forcing owners to follow required tentative or preliminary deadlines.

In 2017, the city passed ordinances requiring buildings on the earthquake-prone list to review, analyze, and repair their structures if necessary, within certain deadlines (list: https://tinyurl.com/mr2fhbz9). Today it appears that many building owners have failed to comply with temporary deadlines in the law, and staffing shortages can make it difficult to fully enforce the earthquake retrofit laws.

Last year, the staff information item report to the city council (https://tinyurl.com/rynp4wws) indicated that the city might have trouble enforcing all the requirements in the 2017 ordinances due to insufficient staffing. The city originally identified approximately 2,400 buildings that may be at risk. Many of the listed building owners have missed initial deadlines for parts of the work, such as structural analyses, that are required by law. The report stated that “current staffing constraints and the changing priorities of the law enforcement department” may be a barrier to enforcement of these initial commitments by building owners, and acknowledged that “enforcement has not been effectively applied at these stages.” The lives of thousands of Santa Monica residents may be affected by the city’s difficulties with law enforcement.

The city’s 2017 retrofitting ordinances require owners of listing properties to analyze their structures and, if necessary, make plans and repair the buildings. Structural analyzes had to be submitted to the City Review by certain deadlines, and any repairs or reinforcements were given timelines with completion dates determined by type of construction.

Some types of buildings had to be evaluated immediately, such as unreinforced masonry buildings (mostly old brick structures). Others, such as “non-ductile concrete” buildings (more on this type later) had longer deadlines for structural analysis and plan submission. Last year’s Task Force report, prepared in March, showed that, of the 66 “non-ductile concrete” buildings on the list, the vast majority had not submitted their plans just one month before the April deadline.

Most of the city’s tallest buildings are “non-ductile concrete” structures. Most importantly, according to the city’s listing, these types of buildings contain more than 1,330 apartments in different parts of the city. Keep in mind that with an average city occupancy of 1.7 people per unit, there are about 2,261 people, in Santa Monica, who make their homes in these buildings.

“Non-ductile concrete” buildings were constructed prior to the introduction of updated building codes that prioritize ductility (a material’s ability to deform under pressure without collapsing). Many of these buildings do not have sufficient steel reinforcement in their concrete structures. This makes these buildings inflexible, brittle and undesirable in earthquake zones. These buildings, when exposed to earthquakes, may pose a significant safety risk to the people who live in or near them. Many of the buildings that collapsed in the recent Turkish earthquake were of this type.

As of last year’s Task Force report, there were 37 “unductile concrete” structures who had not submitted their plans a month before the deadline. The task force’s report said, “Many property owners have chosen to bypass the structural analysis review stage and commit to going through the retrofit process to reduce the time and cost associated with completing their projects.” The report does not specify the number of buildings whose owners failed to meet the structural analysis deadline, nor the exact nature of those owners’ obligation to proceed with the retrofits. And owners who bypass the requirements of the initial structural analysis, arguing that this will be done as part of the final retrofit, are only postponing a task that may reveal urgent and serious conditions that require immediate intervention.

At a time when the city is busy complying with the state’s requirements to provide thousands of additional housing units, the fact that 2.5% of the city’s population – that is, thousands of individuals – live in “non-stretchable concrete” buildings that need attention. Review and analysis may indicate a certain urgency, on the one hand. The City, in examining these buildings, and then—if necessary—repairing them (and possibly shortening the completion date of the final retrofit). The updated staff report will help determine how many owners have complied with initial deadlines and initiated repairs – and how many are currently failing to do so.

The widespread building collapse in the recent Turkish earthquake is a warning. We must prevent them from becoming a prediction. The city is short on funds and personnel, but must find a way to provide more resources to support its reporting and enforcement efforts. As stated in last week’s article, this is a core commitment of the City.

Daniel Jansenson, Architect, Building and Fire Safety Commission and AIA Mario Fonda Buonardi Commissioner and Planning

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow: Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Dan Jansenson, Architect and Commissioner for Life and Fire Safety, Samuel Tolkien Architect and Commissioner for Planning, Mario Fonda Buonardi AIA and Commissioner for Planning, Michael Jolly, AIR-CRE.

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