Soft-Story Ordinances: What Property Owners Need to Know
A soft-story building is a multi-story structure with a first floor that is open in nature and much less rigid (soft) than the floors above. Many examples of soft-story buildings exist, including multi-family apartment buildings with tuck-under or subterranean parking.
California is home to the most earthquake-prone territory, with a prevalence of soft-story apartment buildings. Although these structures are at risk of damage, seismic retrofits can help mitigate the destruction of vulnerable structures.
The main feature that soft-story buildings are easily recognized is the main reason structures collapse or fail in an earthquake. This popular design feature is known as, tuck-under parking (parking that is below raised parts of the structure), very common for apartment buildings.
Cities are constantly updating CA building codes to adhere to Life Safety standards. The Soft-Story Model Ordinance and Handbook is a helpful guide for soft-story building policies.
Why Are Soft-Story Buildings at Risk?
What happens to a building during an earthquake? Most earthquake-induced building damage is a result of ground shaking. When the ground shakes at a building site, the building’s foundation moves with the quake, causing the structure built above the ground to move even more than the ground based on the height and weight of the structure. Some building types can resist these ground motions better than others.
Soft-story apartment buildings in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley built before 1980 are at risk of collapsing during an earthquake. The first story is far too weak to support the entire structure above during an earthquake. Therefore, it is imperative to perform seismic retrofits on all the vulnerable soft-story buildings.
The Soft-Story Retrofit Program Development handbook is a guide to help city and county governments interested in addressing susceptible soft-story structures. It is outlined in the following sections:
- Fragile Apartment Buildings: The Soft-Story Problem
- Preparing a Retrofit Program
- Developing Retrofit Policy and Program Elements
- Implementing a Retrofit Program
Protect Your Soft-Story Building with Saunders Seismic
Soft-story buildings are highly vulnerable to earthquake damage, but seismic retrofits can safeguard your property and tenants. With decades of experience, Saunders Seismic is your trusted partner for retrofits in California and beyond.
Contact us today to discuss your seismic retrofit needs and ensure your building meets modern safety standards.