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Residential Design Services — 'Pay What You Can Afford'
Bartos Architecture is pleased to offer "pay what you can afford" design services for low income residents living in the city of San Mateo.
Looking for a kitchen remodel, new roof or improved landscaping? Please call Mark Bartos at 650.350.1221 to discuss how we can assist you through the Design and Construction process.
Seeking DVBE Firms
Bartos Architecture is seeking DVBE consulting firms interested in working with us as an engineering consultant for appropriate projects.
Please call Mark Bartos at 650.340.1221
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The Division of the State Architect provides design and construction oversight
for K–12 schools, community colleges, and other state-owned and leased facilities.
DSA's authority is derived from Government Code Sections 4450-4461 and Education Code Sections 17280-17317, 17365-17374, 81130-81147
Projects Less than $40,268.17 (2016) (IR10)
DSA review and approval is not required for alteration or reconstruction projects to
school buildings governed by the Field Act with an estimated construction cost of
$40,268.17 or less, for 2015.
Projects Greater than $40,268.17 and less than $161,072.67 (2013) (IR10)
DSA review and approval is not required for alteration or reconstruction projects to
school buildings governed by the Field Act under the following conditions:
A California registered structural engineer shall examine the project and prepare
a written statement certifying that the project does not contain any work of a
structural nature.
The design professional responsible for the project shall prepare a
statement certifying that the plans and specifications (1) contain no work that is
regulated by the accessibility standards of Title 24, (2) contain no work that
triggers accessibility upgrades to existing buildings or facilities, and (3) meet any
applicable fire and life safety standards.
Within 10 days of the project completion, a DSA-certified project inspector shall
sign and submit a verified report to DSA, indicating the completed project is in
conformance with the plans and specifications.
Voluntary Submittal
A design professional or school district may submit plans and specifications,
with the appropriate fee to the DSA for review, even when the project is
exempted from DSA plan review.
Site Work Not Involving Structures or Their Utilities (IR A9)
For school site improvement projects that involve only grading, landscaping, fill placement, paving, storm drains or other work that does not support structures or involve their utilities, the school district is not required to file an application for DSA Structural Safety approval.
Not "School Buildings"
refer to Definition of "School Buildings" page 36 of part 1 of title 24
The following are not considered to be school building but may be submitted separately or may be included in the plans and specifications for a school building project and will be checked under the provisions of the Act if submitted by the school district: one-storey building not over 250 square feet in area when used exclusively as accessory facilities to athletic fields (equipment storage, toilets, snack bars, ticket booths, etc..) greenhouses, barns and materials or equipment storage sheds used exclusively for plant or animal production or protection and not used for classroom instruction (small groups of pupils and teachers may enter these structures for short periods of time): lighting poles less than 35 feet above the grade, antenna towers less than 35 feet above the grade or less than 25 feet above a building roof line, retaining walls less than 4 feet above the top of foundations and not supporting a surcharge, concrete or masonry fences less than 56 feet above adjacent grade, ball-walls or yard walls less than 6 feet above adjacent grade, signs, scoreboards or solid clad fences less than 8 feet above adjacent grade, bleaches and grandstands five rows of seats or less above grades; playground equipment; flagpoles less than 35 feet above grade; open mesh fences and baseball backstops; trailer coaches and "temporary-use" buildings defined below...
Access Only Review
Some projects, depending upon scope, may be submitted to DSA for review and approval. These projects do not receive certification from the State.
Key DSA Administrative Interpretations
IR A9: School Site Improvements for School Buildings
IR A10: Projects Exempt from Review
IR A19: Design Professional's Signature
Facility Safety
Regardless of DSA submittal and approval requirements,
we highly recommend that all school facilities projects be designed by an Architect and be constructed per Code.
Furthermore careful consideration should be made each time a district determines that a project need not be submitted to DSA.
What is the "Field" Act?
The Field Act has its genesis in the 6.3 magnitude Long Beach earthquake of March 10, 1933. In that earthquake, more than 230 school buildings were either destroyed, suffered major damage, or were judged unsafe to occupy. The buildings had been poorly designed and were not constructed to resist earthquake forces. Fortunately, it was 5:55 a.m. on a Friday evening, and schools were closed. It was lost on no one that a disaster had been averted by fewer than four hours. Governor James Rolph, Jr. and the Legislature responded quickly by enacting the Field Act (named after Assembly member Don C. Field), which required earthquake-resistant design and construction of all public schools. It was enacted on April 10, 1933, exactly 30 days after the earthquake. It has since governed the planning, design, and construction of billions of dollars of public school (K-12) building investments. Implementation of the Field Act is a complex interrelationship with dispersed responsibilities between state departments and agencies, school districts, local government building departments, the educational community, and the construction industry.
In 2006, Assembly Bill 127 (AB127) was passed, giving Community Colleges the option of choosing to design and construct under local building departments or under the Field Act.
— Reprinted from The Field Act and Public School Construction:
A 2007 Perspective by Alfred E. Alquist, State of California Seismic Safety Commission
News
DSA Review Threshold
The Governor signed SB 836, the general government trailer bill, which includes a change to the Division of the State Architect (DSA) project review threshold. The bill increases the minimum project cost threshold for DSA review as follows:
Other Facilities Items
There were no significant changes on the school facilities items as previously reported:
Additionally, the Legislature rejected the Governor's May Revision proposal to establish a $100 million Emergency Repair Revolving Loan Program, so this program was not included in the final budget. The program was intended to provide temporary funding to schools with insufficient resources to quickly address imminent health and safety issues that would cause students to be displaced.
DSA Closeout Guidance
Please call us for more information at 650-340-1221
Education Code Sections
TBA