Soft Story Seismic Retrofit

4 November, 2025

Three Tips for Getting the Most from Your Retrofit

By |2025-11-21T00:11:54+00:00November 4th, 2025|AAOC, Apartment Buildings Earthquake Safety, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

It can be a little frightening, feeling the ground shift and sway under our feet. Rocking like a boat on stormy seas, we typically ask ourselves, “How much longer is this going to last; will it get bigger?” The truth in this response is that —in the back of our […]

1 November, 2025

Protecting Apartments, Preserving Value: Earthquake Readiness Matters

By |2025-11-20T23:37:55+00:00November 1st, 2025|AAGLA, Apartment Building, Apartment Buildings Earthquake Safety, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Retrofits, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

Research studies that followed point to Ridgecrest as the impetus of successive ground-shaking that may create a chain reaction from one fault to the next, until it reaches the San Andreas.

Spanning 750 miles along the coast of California from the Salton Sea to Eureka, the San Andreas Fault is cocked […]

2 October, 2025

Preparing For The Big One: Why Seismic Retrofitting Matters For Soft-Story Buildings

By |2025-10-07T20:29:32+00:00October 2nd, 2025|SDCAA, Seismic Resilience, Seismic Retrofit, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

As recent earthquakes across California have reminded residents, preparation for a major seismic event is crucial. Communities from El Centro to Morgan Hill have felt the earth’s tremors, underscoring the need for comprehensive earthquake readiness. For those living in soft-story apartment buildings, seismic retrofitting is a vital part of this […]

2 February, 2025

Northridge Earthquake: 31 Years Later, Lessons for Orange County Preparedness

By |2025-03-14T20:38:05+00:00February 2nd, 2025|AAOC, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Resilience, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

On January 17, 1994, Southern California awoke to devastation as the Northridge Earthquake shook the region. In just 20 seconds, a magnitude 6.7 tremor caused widespread destruction, altering lives and landscapes. Though Northridge was at the epicenter, the quake’s effects reverberated throughout Southern California, including nearby areas like Orange County. […]

4 January, 2025

Is Your San Diego Apartment Ready for the Big One? The Case for Seismic Retrofitting

By |2025-01-14T18:27:51+00:00January 4th, 2025|SDCAA, Seismic Safety, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Northern California in December 2024 serves as a sobering reminder of the seismic risks faced by all of California, including San Diego. While this recent quake caused limited damage, it highlights the urgent need for apartment owners and managers in San Diego to take action […]

4 May, 2024

Enhance Earthquake Safety in Your Apartment Building for Investment Protection and Marketability Boost

By |2024-05-06T22:17:57+00:00May 4th, 2024|Adaptive Reuse, apartments seismic retrofit, SDCAA, Seismic Retrofit, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

Most older apartment buildings fall short of today’s standards for earthquake safety and fail to offer the types of interior spaces tenants want.

If your apartment building was constructed before the mid-1970s, it could benefit from an upgrade of both its structural safety and functional design.

Many building owners in these circumstances […]

1 April, 2024

Securing Lives, Investments, and Liability Prevention: Retrofitting Apartment Buildings for Earthquake Safety

By |2024-04-22T18:52:56+00:00April 1st, 2024|AAGLA, Apartment Buildings Earthquake Safety, apartments seismic retrofit, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

Earthquakes are a constant threat in California. “The Big One” can hit anytime, and cause severe damage to vulnerable apartment buildings, along with death and injuries.

Apartment buildings with a “soft-story” are particularly at-risk of earthquake damage. Soft-story buildings usually have a large, open ground floor space like a parking area, […]

2 February, 2024

Basics Of A Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit

By |2024-02-07T21:53:20+00:00February 2nd, 2024|SDCAA, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

Every building is different, and the approaches to safeguarding a structure against earthquake damage are incredibly diverse.

Yet in spite of these differences, there are some similarities in retrofit approaches based on building type – one of the most common being wood-framed, soft-story structures.

These apartment buildings, characterized by open parking on […]

3 October, 2023

San Diego Apartments Face Earthquake Risk

By |2023-10-17T20:25:44+00:00October 3rd, 2023|Apartment Buildings Earthquake Safety, apartments seismic retrofit, SDCAA, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

San Diego’s earthquake risk is significantly higher than previously thought, according to recent maps prepared by the California Geological Survey.

Recent information reveals the region’s fault zones are significantly larger and far-reaching than previously assumed – stretching along the Rose Canyon fault, an extension of the Los Angeles Newport-Inglewood fault, which […]

1 August, 2023

Apartment Owners’ Actions Can Reduce Earthquake Losses

By |2023-08-22T15:45:49+00:00August 1st, 2023|AAGLA, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Protection, Earthquake Resilience, Soft Story Seismic Retrofit|

Thirty million people from Sacramento to Baja Mexico felt 24 shocks and aftershocks over three terrifying days when Ridgecrest was struck by 6.4- and 7.1-magnitude earthquakes on July 4 and 5 in 2019.

The Mojave Desert quakes triggered extensive ground movement that is believed to have raised the major earthquake risk […]

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