It is important to ensure that our homes or apartment buildings are structurally sound in the event of an earthquake.  Follow the link to a quiz to help you determine your building’s seismic vulnerabilities: http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/fixit/quiz/index.html

If you have any further questions or if you would like to evaluate your building by the seismic design professional, feel free to give us a call at 510-272-9999.

The City of Alameda was awarded by the Northern California Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) for its  soft story ordinance.  The city has  already to notified owners of  75 soft story buildings so far.  For more information see this article in the Alameda Sun.

http://alamedasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7949&Itemid=10

A plan to spend $46 million to seismically retrofit buildings with affordable-housing units was defeated by voters in the election earlier this month.

The proposition needed a two-thirds vote to pass, but it fell just shy the votes it needed.

For more information follow the link to the SF Gate:     

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/03/MNNS1G69CV.DTL&type=politics

Scroll down to Measure A.

Earthquake vulnerabilities in San Francisco

Estimated losses in the event of a big earthquake:

Deaths: Up to 1,000

Housing units lost: 85,000

Cost to repair building damage: $17 billion to $54 billion

Business losses: $5 billion to $15 billion

Source: San Francisco’s Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety project, Oct. 7 presentation

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Preparing-for-dramatic-destruction-104753704.html#ixzz12I0btMwx

This week, at the invitation of the City of Oakland, I participated in a follow up meeting for the Level 1 Screening trained inspectors for the City’s Soft Story Program. The City was interested in feedback from inspectors who have submitted Level 1 Screenings. Inspectors suggested improvements to the Level 1 forms and for clarification of FAQs.

The meeting also clarified some questions about the intent Level 1 Screening. It appears that the City wants Level 1 Screening for all buildings whether or not a Level 2 Evaluation by an engineer is required. Level 2 Evaluation or even retrofit plans cannot be used in lieu of Level 1 Screening.  Records from the survey of soft story buildings conducted several years ago were not utilized in the selection of buildings requiring Level 1 Screening. This may mean that a lot of buildings currently on notice to prepare the screening aren’t soft story buildings at all.

According to a recent article in Daily Cal, the following are most recent statistics of the Berkeley Soft Story Ordinance compliance

The phase 2 of the ordinance requiring mandatory seismic upgrade as well as issues of the non-compliance will be discussed on the City Council meeting tonight September 21.

For more info, click on the link below:

http://www.dailycal.org/article/110423/soft_story_policy_update_may_be_ahead

Check out this article discussing one of our seismic retrofit projects in Petaluma:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100816/ARTICLES/100819601/1349?Title=Work-starts-on-eyesore-

The project involves a seismic retrofit, renovations and addition to the turn of the last century prominent brick building in downtown Petaluma.  Steel braced frames along the longitudinal walls and shop welded, field bolted steel moment frames in transverse direction were used for seismic strengthening.  See “link” to see the construction photos of this remarkable effort.

Proposition A is a bond measure that gives loans for seismic retrofit of “soft-story” buildings with affordable units. Mayor Newsom, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, David Chiu, City Administrator Ed Lee and Gabe Metcalf of SPUR wrote the official “yes” argument – with the question: “remember Hurricane Katrina?” Paid arguments by the Chamber of Commerce, DBI Commissioner Debra Walker, and Mike Theriault of the Building Trades also support it. Faulkner and the SF Republican Party come out against it: “San Franciscans should not be forced to foot the bill for a select few landlords.”

Source:  http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Nine_Proposititions_You_ll _Be_Voting_On_But_Won_t_Hear_Much_About_8464.html

We recently had an article published in RHANAC Rental Housing Magazine entitled On Solid Ground. Unfortunately, we had some incorrect information about the amount of time building owners have to complete the Level 1 screening report after they have been notified that their building may be a soft story. The article indicated that building owners are allowed two years to file such report. The actual time is six months. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused. We have informed the magazine of the discrepancy and hope to have a correction in the next edition of the magazine.

To address the lack of consumer friendly information regarding soft-story buildings and ordinances in the Bay Area and increase awareness about the topic, I’ve been reaching out to apartment associations and building owners.

Check out an article I wrote for the Spring Maintenance issue of the Rental Housing Association of Northern Alameda County magazine, available online here: (http://www.enginious-structures.com/onsolidground.pdf). It’s a great comprehensive overview of the current soft-story situation in the Bay Area. If you know anyone who might benefit from learning about this issue, please help spread the word. We have additional resources available on our website www.enginious-structures.com , and are also available to answer questions through phone or email