Does your apartment building meet today’s standards for seismic safety and interior layout? If built before the mid-1970s, it could benefit from an upgrade of both.
Many building owners in these circumstances are taking advantage of the financial benefits of renovating their building’s interior spaces along with their seismic retrofit project.
The Optimum Seismic team has performed many earthquake retrofit, renovation and adaptive reuse projects over the years, including the conversion of a historic hotel in downtown San Luis Obispo into a mixed-use project of 48 apartments and retail, a similar conversion at the Mayfair Hotel in downtown Pomona, and the conversion of several Victorian homes into student housing for the University of Southern California.
In most of these projects, the need for a seismic retrofit opens the opportunity to reinvent the living space inside the building shell: opening interior spaces; making the most use of natural lighting; enlarging bathroom, kitchen and closet spaces; and using sustainable and recycled materials, renewable energy, and energy- and water-efficient appliances to meet the demands of today’s growing environmentally conscious tenant population.
Reduce Costs and Disruption
Seismic retrofits of apartment buildings can be done with minimal disruption to tenants, but the opportunity exists during this period to incorporate other upgrades to minimize impacts from construction.
Doing both at the same time can save you money by eliminating redundancy and reducing the amount of time needed to manage the work.
Equipment and supplies, staffing and storage requirements can also be shared or minimized for optimum efficiency when projects are done simultaneously.
Reinvent the Living Space
Apartments built in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s tend to have an overall boxed-in functionality. Kitchens are typically cramped and set apart from the main living area. Hallways are narrow, bathrooms compacted, and natural light is limited.
Consider opening these areas to create more expansive spaces by removing partitions and replacing “dead space” with functionality.
This may include creating multipurpose areas to serve blended or multi-generational households, while optimizing private spaces as well.
Bring the Outside Indoors
Consider the exterior of the building shell and how light and landscaping can be incorporated into the interior design.
Attractive terraces, balconies and large windows can bring natural light indoors and expand the interior livings space to the outdoors.
Incorporate Sustainability
I believe that some of our most sustainable buildings are older structures that were adapted and retrofitted to extend their usefulness long into the future.
This reduces the environmental impact of demolishing a building, disposing of the debris, and shipping in new product to construct a new structure.
It also helps to retain much of the historical character of a community, which is another very important aspect of sustainability.
A renovation project can harness these benefits and do even more with them by incorporating sustainable materials into the renovation. Consider using iron, wood, recycled aluminum and plastic into the design of your new interior.
These elements can create interesting accents that define living areas and reflect the simplicity and linear look of today’s design standards.
