How vulnerable is your soft-story (apartment) building to earthquake damage?

Soft-story apartment buildings are prevalent in Los Angeles and Orange County which are also considered earthquake-prone territories, specifically Los Angeles. Soft-story / apartment buildings are at risk of earthquake damage however; seismic retrofits will help mitigate the destruction for vulnerable structures. The main feature Soft-story buildings are easily recognized by is also the main reason […]

The type of building is a major factor in respect to which are most at risk for damage from an earthquake

There are several types of buildings including soft-story, tilt-up, steel moment frame, non-ductile concrete and URM (unreinforced masonry). What are their characteristics and what can be determined are vulnerable when faced with enduring an earthquake? Soft-story structures are common among apartment buildings that are characterized by open parking on the ground floor and dwelling units […]

Adopting Seismic Safety for Buildings

Understanding seismic safety is important for building owners so that they can avoid injuries and litigation in the event of an earthquake. Newer buildings are designed for Life Safety, not building sustainability. So all buildings could possibly use a retrofit, old buildings built prior to the mid-eighties typically do not have as much resistance. Here are important points to […]

Seismic Safety and Retrofitting Techniques

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 the process.  Because of this, researchers have conducted more studies about seismic safety and how to make buildings more structurally sound. Whether these are buildings that already […]