(QCOSTARICA) What do you do if the building you own is out of date, in need of a serious overhaul including structural repairs? Move. Albeit temporarily. That is the decision by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) or the Caja, which needs to vacate its 12 storey building in downtown San Jose, where daily 1.040 people work.
The CCSS said it plans to spend almost US$12.5 million dollars (¢6.850 billion colones) on renting buildings, of which nearly US$2 million (¢1 billion) has been earmarked for document storage and about US$200,000 (¢100 million) to move the furniture.
That is in addition to the US$31 million (¢17 billion colones) to retrofit the building that opened its doors in 1967. The primary work on the structure is to meet today’s seismic standards, that includes structural reinforcement and updating the building’s electrical and mechanical systems.
Gustavo Picado, financial manager at the CCSS, explained that retrofitted Laureano Echandi building will have an estimate 50 year useful life.
According to the report by Nacion.com report, Picado said that “… next year the terms of the tender rules and the administrative process of hiring a company to do the works will be defined.”
Meanwhile, during for the three years estimated to complete the retrofitting, the CCSS will be renting several buildings in the downtown area, to house its employees and attend to the needs of users.
Source La Nacion
