While codes have continued to advance earthquake safe building, there are still a vast number of older buildings that fall far short of safe. Worst among them are the so called “soft” story buildings – the kind with the garage underneath and one side of the entire parking floor open to allow automobile access.

As all structural engineers know, one of the most dangerous and unsafe building types in California is the “Soft story” structures. As you know, soft story buildings are structures in which the ground level is parking with two or three floors of apartments above. Those who know me know this is a pet issue with […]

In light of the recent earthquakes I thought that sharing a few lesser known facts will help to understand what earthquakes are actually all about. The earthquakes of California are caused by the movement of huge blocks, or plates, of the earth’s crust – the Pacific and North American plates. The Pacific plate is moving […]