L.A. hits $1-billion earthquake milestone: 8,000 buildings retrofitted for fire protection – by 2030
“Building the first fireproof skyscraper in the world”, as a Los Angeles Times headline put it.
With a record number of buildings in Los Angeles now protected against fires and explosions by the inclusion of fireproofing, a $1-billion mark was hit a few weeks ago.
The Los Angeles Times reported on an announcement yesterday by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), noting that 8,000 buildings in the LA area now have fireproofing. That’s the highest number of buildings in the US with fireproofing to date.
BOMA said that of 14,000 buildings currently up for fire inspection by BOMA, 7,500 have fireproofing, and this number continues to grow. In addition, about 15,000 have been retrofitted to accommodate earthquake retrofitting, and another 10,000 have been retrofitted to make it more resistant to fire and to reduce heat loss.
“It really means that this area is becoming a leader,” said BOMA Vice President Ken Genser.
In addition to Los Angeles, fire protection efforts are expanding in LA County. BOMA says another 1,500 buildings are now up for fire inspection and retrofitting through BOMA’s new Building Standards Program.
“If you look at the building stock in the county, it is getting more fire resistant, and this is another indication of the fact that L.A. is an increasingly fire resistant environment,” Genser said.
The city of Santa Monica announced in early January that it would make the most of its buildings’ built-in protection during the next few weeks by applying a $500-per-square-foot tax break to homeowners who use window treatments or curtain walls to provide fire protection. The idea, according to a press release, is to “help Santa Monica avoid being the ‘new Los Angeles’.”
