News

JAMA has been involved with ACE Mentoring for decades, and this month we supported our teams at San Gabrielino High School and John Marshall High School at the ACE Build Day, held Saturday, November 16th. Students designed a multi-functional doghouse and were tasked with constructing their creations with the help of contractors and mentors, including JAMA’s own Kent Kaewwaen.

We’ve just started to get professional photos of the Kaiser Riverside-Cirby MOB, which officially opened in September of this year but is still finalizing exterior sitework. The new 200,000 square foot, 5-story MOB in Roseville used ConXtech steel moment frames integrated with prefab exterior wall panels and was designed to achieve LEED Gold. In addition to kudos for architect HOK and contractor Clark Construction, the JAMA project team also deserves a round of applause, including Shane Fitzgerald, Justin Chung, Adena Nik, Ben Kirton, and Celia Barraza. Well done, team!

From Jim Hopper of Stranger Things to Napoleon to Lego, JAMA has got it covered this Halloween! Our office held its annual costume competition, and visited with neighboring companies inside the Fed Reserve Bank building to see if ours were better (it was a close call this year). Everyone pitched in for the lunch potluck too……

As Structural Engineers, you’d think we would know exactly what to do when a seismic event hits, but even we practice earthquake drills, especially during the Great American Shakeout.

The new 210,000 square foot Kaiser Riverside Cirby Medical Office Building in Roseville received a well-deserved honor last night. Completed with architect HOK as a replacement facility, The Riverside Cirby facility took home the Design Excellence Award in the New Construction over $10M / Lean Culture category. The award was given by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of the contributions of KP professional design consultants for projects that achieved excellence for Kaiser Permanente facilities across all regions. Kaiser Riverside Cirby was designed to meet LEED Gold standards, and nearly doubles the number of provider offices of the previous MOB. It also offers a larger pharmacy, a larger laboratory, and expanded services including an on-site MRI suite. The project is one of nearly 30 completed or in process with Kaiser Permanente.

JAMA engineers Matthew Michnewich, SE, David Dorier-Sammut, PE, and Pi Chansuk attended AISC’s SteelDay, held for the first time on a chartered yacht in Marina Del Rey. The networking-oriented event gathered industry steel-focused professionals to discuss trends, news and projects. One of the benefits of attendance – in addition to the sunset views – was connecting directly with steel manufacturers. The group shared feedback and updates on efficiency and cost-saving moves, in some cases helping JAMA understand what really benefits projects and clients versus what we think does.

Thanks to the firm’s Activities & Adventures Committee, JAMA reinstated an old tradition this past weekend in Pasadena with the 2019 Family Picnic. The afternoon gathering brought together employees, families, kids, and even dogs to a beautiful shaded park. The group cam together for games, food, drinks and the opportunity to catch up on things outside of work – enjoying things like an all-ages relay race, jumpers, and even a slushy machine. Thanks to all who attended and to those who volunteered.

Sometimes it’s amazing what engineers do for their jobs. This week JAMA Associate Principal Matt Timmers and Project Manager Hossain Ghaffari got warm and cozy with Godzilla at the top of the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. When the two arrived for a site visit to check loads and cable anchors of the inflatable monster on top of the structure, they expected to simply take a look from the ground and discuss the installation with the crew. Instead, the inflatables marketing team handed them harnesses and suggested they “suit up” to take a look in person. The multi-story piece was placed on top of the iconic dome as part of a marketing campaign for the Godzilla: King of the Monsters movie, opening May 31, but required great care as large-scale lighting was attached as well. Winds or other weather could greatly affect the safety of the structure as well as crowds if the piece shifted too far from its intended position.