News accounts of the Northridge earthquake of 1994 presented shocking images of the widespread destruction, the loss of life, and the injuries suffered from the 6.7 magnitude blind-reverse-thrust quake, which produced the largest ground motions ever recorded in an urban environment in the U.S.
Fifty-seven people were killed; more than 40,000 […]
Seismic retrofits affect more than just the buildings they are designed to protect.
Depending on the construction process, they have the potential to disrupt quality of life for your tenants.
That’s why the City of Los Angeles in 2005 enacted the Tenant Habitability Program to encourage landlords to mitigate […]
Building practices in Chile and Nepal underscore the importance of retrofits to withstand seismic activity
Every month of every year, an average of as many as 10 major quakes between a magnitude 6.0 and 6.9 strike somewhere on our planet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The level of […]
The primary purpose of an earthquake retrofit is to make a building safer in the event of an earthquake.
But there are many other important considerations as well – issues that could affect the functionality and operations of a building for both the short- and long-term.
Guard Against Lost Parking […]
One of the most important questions an apartment owner can make when deciding to move forward with an earthquake retrofit, is determining the best approach to get the job done.
Most public agencies recommend the “design-bid-build” approach rather than hiring one contractor to do both the engineering study and construction project.
The […]
Anyone who lives in California knows that our state’s calamitous reputation for earthquakes is fueled by the intricate web of volatile fault lines that crisscross our landscape.
The closer you are to the convergence of two tectonic plates, the more likely you are to be impacted by seismic activity. Here in […]
(As published in Apartment Age Magazine) Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety last month hosted the city’s second annual Los Angeles Seismic Retrofit Resource Fair, providing owners of soft-story buildings with access to information on the city’s new mandatory earthquake retrofit law.
City […]
(As published in California Apartment Association’s Industry Newsletter)
A record number of Californians are getting earthquake insurance, and more and more cities throughout the state are passing laws to make buildings safer in a quake.
In 2016, the number of people signing up for an earthquake policy […]
Optimum Seismic, Inc., Southern California’s leading seismic retrofit company, has been named the Exclusive Affinity/Preferred Vendor of the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities (AACSC) for earthquake retrofit engineering and construction, officials announced today.
The designation distinguishes Optimum Seismic as a trusted leader in the industry with a team […]
Optimum Seismic, Inc., Southern California’s leading earthquake retrofit company, is hosting a series of educational outreach initiatives to be held throughout Southern California. The California Apartment Association will also be part of these educational events to discuss the various services they provide to the multi-family housing industry.
Informational […]
