What Is Commercial Seismic Retrofitting And How It Can Benefit You
Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing a lot of news about damage to buildings caused by earthquakes. If you own a commercial building and you’re looking at or wondering about the different options or services available to you, continue reading the article below.
Hiring a commercial seismic contractor provides increased resistance to existing structures and asset protection. Prior to 1998 most building codes weren’t as strict as they are now. If you have a building constructed before 1998, this is definitely a service you should look into, especially if your building is in one of many earthquake areas.
What Types Of Buildings Can Benefit?
If you have one of the following types of buildings, hiring a commercial seismic contractor will benefit you:
- Commercial/Industrial buildings/Historical Buildings
- Parking Structures
- Soft Story / Multi-Family Apartments
- Concrete Tilt Ups
- Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
What Techniques Are Used?
Different engineers use different techniques, but the most common techniques a commercial seismic contractor will use include:
- Roof to Wall Anchors
- Continuity ties
- Moment or Brace steel frames
- Concrete pad and grade beam footings
- Drag lines with wood and/or steel plates
- Shear walls, Wood, Gunite or FRP
- Roof Nailing
- Soft Story Reinforcements
The technique used will also depend on the type of structure. For example, a soft story, such as an apartment building would benefit from Moment frames and Shear walls.
On the other hand, if you have a concrete building with two or more stories such as a mall or parking garage it would benefit more from Gunite, FRP, steel columns, concrete shear walls, and Micro-Piles.
How Can Hiring A Commercial Seismic Contractor Benefit Me?
While there are benefits such as reducing the risk of injury inside or around a building, there are also monetary benefits. When you retrofit your building you can claim reduced insurance premiums on earthquake insurance. Also, if you ever plan to sell that building in the future, investors will not have to negotiate the price of a retrofit off the selling price. You pay for it now or latter. Better to reduce the liability while you own the asset.
Just taking a look at a few research studies from Caltech University and the Federal Emergency Management Agency – retrofitting your commercial business can help you save money by reducing the loss caused by earthquakes.
If you have a commercial building and would like to learn more about earthquake retrofitting or you would like more information on the benefits of hiring a commercial seismic contractor, visit Saunders Construction, Inc at our website or call (949) 646-0034 (Southern California), (408) 267-3876 (Northern California) or (206) 521-3774 (Washington State/Oregon)