What are the top benefits seismic retrofitting your commercial building? 6-Major Benefits of Seismic Retrofits 1. Mitigate Risk & Liability: Seismic retrofits significantly mitigate risk and liability associated with earthquake damage. By proactively strengthening a property’s structural integrity, owners and stakeholders can minimize the potential for injuries, fatalities, and property damage during seismic events. This […]
According to Ryan Kersting,(Associate Principal, Buehler Engineering) Functional recovery is a post-event (e.g., post-earthquake) performance state in which a building or lifeline infrastructure system is maintained, or restored, to safely and adequately support the basic intended functions associated with the pre-event use or occupancy of a building, or the pre-event service level of a lifeline […]
Summer has just begun and according to recent news outlets, millions of people and structures across the country are experiencing severe weather including thunderstorms and a deadly heat wave that is sweeping the South. Just as the heat takes a major toll on us, extreme weather, and operational conditions affect the structural members of buildings. […]
SEAOSC Technical Summit took place on June 22nd this year and the focus was on three important topics that are defining the current landscape of structural engineering and seismic safety. The philosophy of Functional Recovery which the industry codes are shifting towards this approach. Functional recovery is a post-event (e.g., post-earthquake) performance state in which […]
Performing seismic retrofits on a building can be a daunting and intimidating project for commercial building owners and real estate professionals to take on and manage. And, then add to the mix the building is occupied with tenant(s) operating thriving businesses. It is important to perform annual building assessments to determine the structural integrity of […]
A soft-story retrofit refers to a building that is a multi-story structure built with a first floor that is open in nature, much less rigid than the floors above. For example, multi-family apartment buildings with tuck-under parking or subterranean parking and retail centers with a large store front on the first floor are typical soft-story […]
HAZARD-RESISTANT building codes are designed for buildings to be constructed to withstand earthquakes, flooding, and high winds. According to FEMA, they conducted an analysis based on 18-million actual buildings, the frequency of hazard events in each area and the type of building code in place which showed a 20-year period that WITH hazard-resistant building codes […]
PML or Probable Maximum Loss is a term the insurance industry created decades ago to reference the maximum loss an insurance company should expect to pay for a claim based on the seismic assessment of a property / building. PML, SEL and SUL are defined below. Due to advancements in technology and our ability to […]
Are seismic retrofits mandatory for commercial real estate assets? What if the properties are not located in a known earthquake region? Short answer is, no, seismic retrofits are not mandatory. However, the old saying pay now or pay later applies here! Many people have false assumption earthquakes only happen in California, although they are prevalent […]
Saunders Construction provides budgets for acquisitions! Budgets come with estimate ranges of low, median, and high with many factors that affect pricing. Information to submit for a budget may include, leasing plan/tenant leasing plan (this helps determine access to perform the work), existing structural plans (S-pages), property assessment or seismic report, interior building photos (roof), […]