Seismically, the San Francisco Bay area is a very active area as understood by professional engineers at GeoTrinity Consultants, Inc. in Oakland, CA. Therefore, the need for structurally sound construction techniques and considerations is an absolute necessity. Since the 1960s, building codes have become increasingly more and more stringent in an attempt to curtail the damage that earthquakes can wreak on a structure. Structural engineering allows builders to design and implement buildings that stand a much better chance of surviving an earthquake.
Unfortunately, many building and homes were built before these tougher regulations were in place and fall below the current standard of safety. Seismic retrofitting or upgrades pertain to the modification of existing structures in an attempt to make them more resistant to earthquakes and ground motion. Recent science and research has given us a much better understanding of the substantial forces earthquakes place on structures, and this knowledge allows GeoTrinity Consulting, Inc. to better address the potential for risk and to mitigate any potential hazard.
Many multi-storied buildings such as apartment building are what are known as “soft-story” buildings. They are called so because the first floor is much less rigid and structurally sound than the floors located above. The first stories usually accommodate parking spaces, larger windows and lobbies. Without proper design, these soft-story buildings are much less likely to withstand the violent lateral forces during an earthquake. If the first floor fails, the entire structure will “pancake” down on top. This is a catastrophic condition. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, as many as 10,800 buildings in San Francisco can be labeled as soft-story building. Seismic upgrading addresses these oversights and design flaws by adding the structural components needed to bring the building up to code.
The practice of seismic upgrading improves the structural integrity of a building to reduce the hazards and potential for losses to both property and human life. There is no such thing as an earthquake-proof building, but by implementing new
construction techniques and strategies, GeoTrinity Consulting, Inc. can substantially increase the likelihood that the building is survivable in the event of an earthquake.
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