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All posts for the month February, 2014

Video of Simulated Soft-Story Building Collapse due to Earthquake

In the following video clip, engineers test a soft-story building with a 6.7 magnitude simulated earthquake to determine the effects of a large earthquake on buildings with a soft-story condition. The results are quite dramatic, as the bottom floor of the building collapses, and the building topples sideways. Click on the link below to watch […]

Experts estimate that earthquake strengthening installations WILL FAIL to perform as expected in as many as 90% of retrofitted houses.

In December, 2011, the New York Times published an article estimating that one-third to two-thirds of non-engineered earthquake retrofits in the San Francisco Bay Area are installed incorrectly. (See the article here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/us/seismic-retrofits-offer-shaky-assurance-in-california.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)  In 2006, the Contra Costa Times estimated that 69% of retrofits would not function as expected. The Golden Gate Chapter of the American […]

Details and Cost of Retrofitting SF’s Soft Story Buildings (old post)

San Francisco recently signed into law an ordinance making retrofitting of thousands of seismically unsafe buildings mandatory.  This ordinance applies to wood-frame buildings built before 1978, which are at least three stories tall and have at least five residential units. These apartments are unsafe because an earthquake shakes the bottom floor that supports the weight of […]

Public Financing option for Soft Story Retrofits – hurry the deadline for applications is 4/18/14

GreenFinanceSF may be the financial resource you need! GreenFinanceSF is a program through the city of SF Department of the Environment. It’s a publicly administered alternative to traditional financing and is a 100% voluntary program.  The city will issue bonds to provide financing to the participating properties that that are interested in financing their soft […]