The Korean American Institute of Architects (KAIA) strongly criticized the winning design of the new Los Angeles Consulate General building after the artist’s renditions were unveiled.
In particular, KAIA pointed out that the design largely ignores Los Angeles city regulations regarding building construction and firefighting plans.
Usun Engineering, which was selected as the design firm for the reconstruction of the Los Angeles Consulate General building under Consul General Youngwan Kim, recently unveiled artist’s renditions of the new consulate building.
KAIA criticized Usun Engineering for its lack of understanding of Los Angeles city building regulations. KAIA has some 50 Korean-American architects as members.
Based on their analysis of the artist’s renditions unveiled by Usun Engineering, KAIA estimates that the new consulate building is likely to be a high-rise structure with one basement level and eight floors above ground.
The Los Angeles City Building Code defines a high-rise building as a structure with a top floor height of 75 feet or more above ground level. In such cases, fire truck aerial ladders may not reach the upper floors, requiring stricter fire safety and earthquake-resistant design regulations.
“Looking at the artist’s renditions, I question whether the United States building safety code was properly understood,” said Leo Cho, president of KAIA. “An eight-story building qualifies as a high-rise, meaning a completely different construction method must be applied. This cannot be achieved within the current reconstruction budget.”
In this regard, the budget for the reconstruction of the Los Angeles Consulate General has been significantly reduced from 88 billion won (approximately $61.5 million) to 70.3 billion won (approximately $49.1 million).
KAIA estimated that constructing the building according to the design plan would cost at least $55 million ($700–$800 per square foot), taking into account the rise in construction and labor costs following the pandemic.
A Korean-American architect, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, “Office buildings typically have a floor height of at least 12 to 13 feet, making it difficult to avoid high-rise building regulations if constructed according to the artist’s renditions.” He added, “Unlike low-rise buildings, high-rise structures must be equipped with helipads, fire-fighting elevators, emergency generators, and smoke control systems.”
“In particular, due to the nature of the Consulate General, a diplomatic mission, it is necessary to hire specialized construction workers who can maintain security. However, I think it is nearly impossible to complete the project within the allocated budget using the selected design.”
Some critics also claimed that a design unsuitable for local conditions was chosen because Korean-American architectural and construction companies based in Los Angeles were excluded from the bidding process. Only South Korea-based firms, which are unfamiliar with Los Angeles city regulations, were allowed to participate.
It is also controversial that Usun Engineering was the design firm for the GS E&C apartment complex in Geomdan New Town, Seo-gu, Incheon, where an underground parking lot collapsed in April 2023 due to the omission of reinforcing bars.
“I 100% agree that this is a government project led by the South Korean government and the Consulate General,” said Cho. “However, when the building was put up for competition in the United States, only Korean companies unfamiliar with local conditions were allowed to participate, and a design that significantly exceeded the allocated budget was adopted. It would have been better if Korean-American design firms and experts in Los Angeles had not been excluded from the competition.”
Another Korean-American architect, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The reconstruction of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles is a major project that the Korean-American community also supports. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea should now allow the Korean-American community to participate and begin designing a proper building that fits the allocated budget and complies with local regulations.”
“Korean-American design firms in the Los Angeles area also tried to participate in the Consulate General’s competition, but only Korean firms were permitted,” said architect Taesik Kim, author of Reading Architecture in LA. “The Consulate General’s reconstruction project should not be forced to project a Korean image. It is equally important to design the building according to its function.”
Meanwhile, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles will soon provide information on the artist’s renditions of the reconstruction design. According to the Consulate General, Usun Engineering has completed the design for each floor of the diplomatic mission. The Consulate General is reportedly searching for construction companies in the Los Angeles area while finalizing the design.
“We conducted an online survey last year to gather public opinion from the Korean-American community and shared the results with the participating companies at the on-site briefing in Los Angeles last September,” said an official at the Consulate General.
“The reconstruction of overseas diplomatic missions was carried out through a Public Procurement Service announcement in accordance with headquarters’ procedures. The reconstruction procedures and processes for overseas diplomatic missions are applied equally to all such projects.”
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
