Accessibility and alterations of existing buildings often involve alternative solutions that provide equivalent means of providing accessibility. These often include showing that a hardship exists in meeting the regular code.  Solutions can become even more problematic if the alteration involves a qualified historic building. Include in that mix the new mandatory requirements of the new ADA, and the solution can become perplexing.  This workshop hopes to address these issues and provide guidelines for solving design issues of accessibility projects in existing buildings.

Discussion Items

·         Key Substantive Requirements of the ADA and the CA Building Code for existing buildings

·         Discussion of concepts such as readily achieveable, equivalent facilitation, safe harbors, and hardships (20% rule) in work on existing buildings

·         Discussion of limitations of liability, certifications, guarantees and warranties

·         CA Historical Building Code and acceptable alternatives for qualified buildings

·         San Francisco Administrative Bulletins as examples of equivalent facilitation for hardships

·         Case studies from SF Access Appeals Commission

Presented by:

Arnie Lerner, AIA, CASp. is the principal of the architect firm Lerner + Associates Architects in San Francisco. Mr. Lerner is certified by the Division of the State Architect as a Certified Access Specialist (CASp), currently serves on the San Francisco Access Appeals Commission, and is Vice President of the Board of Directors of  the San Francisco Independent Living Resource Center. Mr. Lerner has been a practicing architect in the bay area for the past 30 years and his firm has won design awards for their work on accessibility and historic preservation projects. He has also served as an expert and mediator in accessibility lawsuits.

Jill Darsow, Esq., Pandell Law Firm, Inc. is a trial attorney in California since 1993 and has extensive experience handling a variety of casualty litigation cases, including insurance defense, premises liability, ADA civil rights claims, construction defect, products and personal injury, and landslide cases.  She focuses on counseling and defending design professionals and businesses involved in claims, including construction disputes, professional liability, contracts and transactional matters.  Ms. Darsow received her degree in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley with an emphasis in structural engineering.  Before then, she worked as an on-site Project Engineer and Estimator of commercial construction projects for a large San Francisco construction company.  She received her Juris Doctor from Hasting College of Law, University of California.  Ms. Darsow is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to all Federal District Courts in California.  She has served as lead trial counsel in sixteen jury trials.