For the past 20 years, San Francisco building owners have had the option to enroll their properties in the city’s pioneering Building Occupancy Resumption Program (BORP). Registered buildings receive private post-earthquake inspection on an accelerated timeline, reducing business interruption costs and facilitating a faster return to operations following a major event. More and...

Is your real-estate crystal ball looking a little cloudy these days? Trying to predict the future of markets these days is tricky—especially with a new President, a mature stage real estate cycle and global low-growth and -yield environments. As we get into 2017, caution and guarded optimism are some common views of the commercial real estate industry. Much like 2016, this year...

Once upon a time creative office spaces were raw, unfinished, open floorplans in old, sometimes historic, buildings. Startup companies liked the flexible layouts and inexpensive rent. Over the years, the popularity of creative offices has grown and evolved into a design concept all its own—one that comes with special set challenges and misconceptions. Characteristically compris...

Green building continues to be the wave of the future. In fact, when the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo hits Los Angeles next month, it's estimated to bring up to 25,000 environmentally focused minds together to discuss everything from the most recent LEED rating systems, one of the leading drivers for sustainability and energy efficiency in the nation, to new off...

Last year's seismic retrofit ordinance is putting 15,000 older Los Angeles buildings under serious pressure. Owners and operators of Los Angeles structures built before 1978 are left quaking about meeting minimum standards, opting for a retrofit or considering teardowns. Owners of buildings found to be non-conforming will be required to strengthen or demolish their structures w...

Accessibility regulations can seem like a complicated maelstrom of overlapping and conflicting requirements. The confusion over codes makes easy prey for "drive-by" lawsuits, which often target small businesses that may not have the knowledge of what's required and will therefore opt to settle an individual claim quickly. What's more frustrating is that lawsuits are often filed...

Like all design, landscaping is adapting to substantial shifts in sustainability as well as the new way people work in and around the built environment. One of the biggest national trend we are seeing is in native landscaping. This type of landscape design allows for climate-matched planting supported by sustainable amounts of irrigation. As resources become more limited, lands...

Marx Okubo provided property condition assessment services on this development to assist our client in determining the proper scope for the renovated structures. This project shows how reusing existing buildings in creative ways can be attractive and sustainable, both from an environmental as well as financial perspective. To learn more about the future of the Pen Factory, clic...

In our experience, every building comes with issues. The key to navigating construction challenges successfully is to have the knowledge base necessary to identify those issues, communicate them effectively and efficiently, and champion prudent solutions. Luckily, constant improvement in the information technology sector is bringing so many innovative and helpful products and s...

Setting new precedents in green energy, California made significant revisions to energy requirements as part of the state’s 2014 building code. The revisions also proposed an extensive mandate for new commercial buildings to be “zero net energy” by 2030. While we assume the rest of the country will eventually follow this progressive state’s lead, there is clearly panic in the i...

Warranty issues on roofing are a common problem in the world of property investment and building construction. Unknowns stem from the fact that there is a wide range of roof manufacturers, all of which have their own warranties for differing systems. Adding to the confusion are various coverage “add-on” options, along with wind up-lift requirements, and countless codes for new...

The trouble with exterior building maintenance requirements (EBM) is they’re not widely known. Buildings are not typically reviewed for compliance with state and federal safety codes, and enforcement is by complaint only. We don’t acknowledge this to alarm real estate builders, owners and investors, but more to draw awareness to an issue that at some point could affect anyone w...