Los Angeles has a new seismic safety plan that gives owners of soft-story wood framed buildings 5 years to retrofit their property. Many of the estimated 16,000 soft-story buildings in Los Angeles are apartments. “These new programs will improve the earthquake performance of some of Los Angeles’s more vulnerable buildings that could collapse during a […]
Los Angeles unveils new mandatory seismic retrofit plan for soft-story buildings
Posted by admin on December 19, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=474
San Francisco Soft Story Retrofit Program, Update
San Francisco has seen an overwhelming 92% of buildings come into full compliance with the screening portion of the Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance. Property owners were given a year to complete the initial screening forms which would determine if a building would be subject to the Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program. Starting next week, the […]
Posted by admin on September 26, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=471
San Francisco Private School Seismic Ordinance Approved
Mayor Edwin M. Lee introduced the Private School Earthquake Safety Ordinance, which will require the seismic evaluation of 120 private K-12 schools in San Francisco over the next three years. After careful review and public outreach engaging school administrators, design professionals and parents, we are pleased to announce that the Ordinance was unanimously approved by […]
Posted by admin on September 26, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=469
Napa wake up call!
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated in 2007 that there is a 63% probability of at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater quake, capable of causing widespread damage, striking the San Francisco Bay region before 2030. There is a 67% probability of a similarly sized earthquake striking the Southern California region within the same period. […]
Posted by admin on September 26, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=467
You are running out of time to submit Soft Story Screening!
This is the title of a full page advertisement by the San Francisco Building Department in the SF Apartment magazine. All property owners who received a mandatory retrofit letter from the city are required to respond with the completed screening form signed by an engineer or architect by September 15, 2014. After 9/15, all non-compliant […]
Posted by admin on August 11, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=461
Private schools in SF require seismic engineering evaluation
The Private Schools Earthquake Safety Working Group, comprised of volunteer parents, school representatives, other interested persons, and City staff presented a report that resulted in having a new legislation introduced requiring all Private Schools to perform a seismic evaluation by 2017. Buildings within the scope of the ordinance to be evaluated at one of […]
Posted by admin on March 3, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=457
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 […]
Posted by admin on February 14, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=337
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 […]
Posted by admin on February 6, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=168
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 […]
Posted by admin on February 6, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=188
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 […]
Posted by admin on February 5, 2014
https://enginious-structures.com/softstoryblog/?p=422