An Overview of Commercial Seismic Retrofitting
When an earthquake strikes, the level of risk that a soft story structure is subjected to is significantly more than other type of structures. Many different apartments and commercial premises may be at risk of damage or collapse if not properly retrofitted. In the event of an earthquake, soft story apartment buildings, unreinforced masonry buildings, and even historical buildings run the risk of extensive damage.
Commercial seismic solutions help stop extensive damage to your building in the event of an earthquake. These solutions and techniques not only achieve seismic safety, but they’re also used for structural repairs in order to put your building back on a solid foundation.
How Commercial Seismic Retrofitting is Done
A commercial seismic retrofit involves a combination of processes aimed at improving structural integrity. Some of these processes include:
- Anchoring the Raised Floor foundation (Crawl space)
This technique involves strengthening the cripple wall-to-foundation connections. Sill plates are typically not correctly anchored, meaning they need to be properly anchored to the concrete foundation. This anchoring is done by using bolts, hold downs, and plywood with blocking along the cripple wall (cripple walls are a series of wood stud walls that elevate your home from the foundation). If you have a wood first floor you most likely have this type of structure.
- Plywood
Plywood (shear walls) can also be nailed to the face of the cripple wall. Nails are installed all the way around the perimeter at a specific spacing, and additional nails are also placed on the wood studs present on the cripple wall.
- Strengthening roof to wall connections
Many commercial retrofits involve strengthening roof to wall connections.
This is mostly done on Building built prior to 1998 when the building codes changed. Soft story structures usually need a moment frame in order to support the lateral loads.
Why is Commercial Seismic Retrofitting important?
Retrofitting your commercial premises is important for the following reasons:
- Reduces risk of injury
A reduced risk of injury to workers and guests helps maintain peace of mind. You can also enjoy reduced insurance premiums due to the structural integrity of the building. The biggest factor could be the liability in the litigious society.
- Easy to sell your structure if it is retrofitted.
Most buyers today look for structures that are retrofitted. You are less likely to make a sale on your building if it is not retrofitted. At least a discount on the building will be applied.
If you need an apartment or building seismic retrofitting services in California, Oregon, or Washington, Saunders Seismic can help. We specialize in commercial-grade retrofitting for multiple types of commercial/industrial premises. Contact us today to begin improving the stability of your structure. You shouldn’t wait to make your building a safer place.
