In the second part of a series looking at codes in L.A. that require tall buildings to have flat roofs for helicopter landing, Curbed LA discusses a new building that has been exempted from the code and whether more are likely to follow.
Fire and life safety engineer Nate Wittasek argues that helipads offer a "negligible" benefit to building safety.
"'From an engineering point of view, the helipad isn't the best use of money,' believes Wittasek, a former firefighter who also serves on the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a Chicago-based group that studies the planning and design of buildings. 'You're spending all this money and infrastructure on something that is rarely used. What if you put the money towards something that was more beneficial?'
Wittasek is part of a team that created a modern fire safety system for the Red Building, the first major building exempted from Los Angeles County's helipad requirement, according to Deputy Chief David R. Richardson at the County of Los Angeles Fire Department. 'They proposed a [fire safety] system that was better than what was originally supposed to go in,' says Richardson. The building will open next year."
Flat Tops No Longer Required for Los Angeles Skyscrapers
Emily Alpert Reyes reports that Los Angeles has overturned a long-standing requirement for its skyscrapers to have flat roofs to accommodate the fire department's helicopters in the event of an emergency.
The Fire Department Code That Flat-Tops L.A.'s Skyline
All buildings in Los Angeles taller than 75 feet are required to have a flat surface on the roof where helicopters can land, according to a fire department-mandated code. Now leaders are thinking about updating that code -- and the city's skyline.
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Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
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