Earthquakes don’t just shake the ground—they test the strength of every structure built upon it. For many types of commercial buildings, especially those constructed before modern safety codes, seismic events reveal dangerous vulnerabilities that could put lives and investments at risk. From concrete tilt-ups to soft-story apartments with open ground floors, each type of commercial […]
Earthquakes strike without warning, and not all buildings are designed to withstand their force. If you own or manage a commercial or industrial property, it’s crucial to understand whether your building is at risk. Soft-story buildings—characterized by open ground levels and limited structural support—are among the most vulnerable to collapse during seismic events. Recognizing these […]
Soft-story apartment buildings are prevalent in Los Angeles and Orange County, which are also considered earthquake-prone territories. Although soft-story / apartment buildings are at risk of earthquake damage, seismic retrofits will help mitigate the destruction for vulnerable structures. The main feature that soft-story buildings are easily recognized is the main reason structures collapse or fail […]
Throughout the years in California, we’ve heard about many large magnitude earthquakes, such as the Northridge quake in 1994. California, of course, isn’t the only state vulnerable to earthquakes. Earthquakes happen in Oregon, Washington, and neighboring states all along the western coast. Although earthquake damage can be devastating, smaller quakes do serve a useful purpose: […]
Many property owners in California have unsafe and outdated soft-story buildings. These buildings often have multiple unsupported openings on the ground floor, which can cause the building to crumble, collapse, or even damage other surrounding buildings. Safety Versus Function Structural engineers and contractors have an important job when it comes to these soft-story buildings. They need to strengthen the […]
Many of the older apartment complexes built in the earthquake prone areas of the West Coast were designed as soft story structures. The open spaces along the bottom of the building make them particularly susceptible to damage and collapse when an earthquake strikes. Soft story apartment complexes will remain vulnerable to such damage unless they can be retrofitted […]