Introduction to Ed Roether Consulting LLC
After spending 20 years at Populous (previously known as HOK Sport,
Venue, Event) Ed Roether formed Ed Roether Consulting LLC to offer consulting services related to the standards applied to the built environment.
Over the last 20 years Ed has developed an intimate understanding of these
standards that very few people possess. His familiarity with the
requirements in the codes and standards for accessibility and life safety,
along with construction
standards, enable him to provide comprehensive
advice throughout the design and construction process continuing on
throughout the life of the facility. Few accessibility or life safety consultants
have his familiarity with the construction standards and real world
experience as a practicing architect and few design/construction consultants
have his familiarity with the accessibility and life safety codes and standards.
Ed Roether has been a practicing architect for over 30 years. After
graduating
with his degree in architecture from Kansas State University, Ed
served as a project architect for several architectural firms in the Kansas
City metropolitan area from
1977 to 1990. He started working for Populous
(formerly known as HOK Sport, Venue, Event) as a project architect in 1989,
and then from 1990 to 2010, he was
responsible for the Populous Quality
Assurance program, including building/life
safety code and ADA compliance.
This program included measuring performance, identifying problems,
developing solutions and facilitating office wide quality improvements. He
focused project teams on meeting: 1) client expectations relative to design,
schedule and budget, 2) the design’s constructability and compliance with
construction standards, 3) the firm’s high standards of design, professional
practice and client service, and 4) the needs of the public relative to
accessibility and life safety. During those 20 years as head of Quality
Assurance for Populous, Ed worked on more than 150 projects worth nearly
$17.25 Billion in construction value and has become recognized worldwide as
a leader in the industry for his knowledge of codes and standards.
He successfully proposed multiple changes to various codes/standards since
the early 1990’s. He has provided comments to both the United States
Access Board and the United States Department of Justice during their
rulemaking process to adopt new Guidelines/Standards. He is recognized by
those involved with code/standard development as someone having a unique
understanding of their requirements. Ed was recognized by the Paralyzed
Veterans of America for his unique understanding of accessibility in Sporting
Venues. His commitment to consistent comprehensive and objective
interpretations of requirements in the codes/standards enables him to
discuss specific issues to find common ground on the intent.
As a member of the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Assembly Occupancies
Committee, the ICC/ANSI A117 Accessible and Usable Buildings Committee
and chairing several task groups for those committees Ed has an historical
perspective of their requirements. His unique understanding and historical
perspective of life safety features provided Ed the knowledge to co-author
the Assembly Occupancies Chapter in the Twentieth Edition of the NFPA Fire
Protection Handbook and the article “Managing Emergencies” in the
July/August edition of the NFPA Journal.
Ed Roether Consulting LLC provides services that would be helpful to
individuals or organizations that own, operate, design, construct or manage
the design/construction of facilities, as well as attorneys providing legal
counsel to those individuals or organizations. His comprehensive, objective
advice is mindful of his clients’
schedule, budget and expectations. His
knowledge of these Standards would help anyone needing assistance with:
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act/Accessibility Code
Accessibility Barrier Assessment of Existing Conditions
Compliance with the Building/Life Safety Codes and Standards
Life Safety Evaluations
Compliance with Design/Construction Standards
The Design/Construction of a Sports Facility
