Earthquakes occur on a regular basis. Commercial building owners in areas with significant seismic activity often worry about ensuring the safety of their workers, patrons, and residents during an earthquake and its…
Los Angeles recently passed Ordinance 183893, which requires building owners to retrofit any wood framed or soft-story buildings built prior to 1978, and other cities in California will likely follow suit. The law…
Many buildings in Los Angeles have what is called a soft-story structure. The term describes buildings that have a habitable room or rooms above a garage, carport, entryway, or lobby. To give your…
Seismic retrofitting is a process that modifies existing structures to make them more impervious to events such as earthquakes and tremors. If you own an existing tilt-up or non-ductile concrete building in…
Many commercial property owners are becoming concerned about their building’s structural safety, especially if their building is old or has been recently impacted by a natural disaster such as an…
What are non-ductile buildings? What are the differences between ductility and stiffness? Why are they important factors to consider when it comes to preparing your building for earthquakes? Ductility describes the flexibility…
Earthquakes are one of the most common natural occurrences — and yet most standard property insurance doesn’t cover it. This leads business owners to purchase separate earthquake insurance, especially in areas…
California’s 1994 Northridge Quake was one of the most devastating earthquakes in history. Property damage totaled $44 million and 33 people died. Many of the buildings that were damaged by the earthquake were…
Over the last few decades, researchers and seismologists have gained more knowledge about earthquakes and building collapses. One of the biggest reasons for building collapse in the United States is…
Over the past few years, more and more earthquakes are happening around the world. These earthquakes have caused millions of dollars in damage and have injured or killed people in…