flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

California turns its attention to seismic retrofits following massive earthquakes overseas

California turns its attention to seismic retrofits following massive earthquakes overseas


Drew Ballensky | March 23, 2011
Major earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand have California officials focused on the quake vulnerability of thousands of concrete buildings built before the state adopted stringent seismic building codes. California has an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 brittle concrete buildings lacking sufficient reinforcing steel. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-quake-buildings-20110317,0,5272824.story In recent years, some state lawmakers and officials have advocated identifying and retrofitting these structures, but high costs have stalled the initiatives. One solution is to wrap concrete columns with carbon-fiber mesh. But that requires tearing everything out around the columns, making some retrofits almost as expensive as erecting a new building, according to some business groups. California moved to improve the safety of some structures after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, with the focus on freeways and hospitals. The hospital sector has made progress since then, but has a long way to go for full seismic code compliance.

More from Author

Drew Ballensky | Jan 14, 2014

D.C. Navy Yard building, site of mass shooting, will be renovated

A remembrance area and a new visitor's entrance will be among the changes when the Navy rebuilds Building 197 of the Washington Navy Yard, where a gunman killed 12 people and then was killed in a shooting spree in September 2013.

Drew Ballensky | Jan 6, 2014

Energy-efficiency retrofits can help reduce healthcare costs

Reducing energy consumption through energy-efficiency retrofits represents an underappreciated way to cut healthcare costs, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Drew Ballensky | Jan 2, 2014

West Hollywood drug den to be remade into boutique hotel

San Vicente Inn, a cluster of century-old historic bungalows, known as a haven for nudists and drug users, in West Hollywood, Calif., will be converted into a boutique hotel.

Drew Ballensky | Dec 27, 2013

U.S. Capitol dome’s cracks to be repaired during $60 million renovation

Rings of scaffolding will start to rise this spring around the cast-iron dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington as part of a $60 million renovation project to repair more than 1,300 cracks.

Drew Ballensky | Dec 16, 2013

Major renovation for historic Northwestern Building in Minneapolis

Minneapolis’s Northwestern Building, originally built in 1914 as a glass factory, is undergoing a major renovation. The 85,000-sf, four-story building is now serves as office space for multiple tenants in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood.

Drew Ballensky | Dec 9, 2013

Bethlehem, Pa., receives preservation award for Bethlehem Steel building renovation

Bethlehem, Pa., is a recipient of a 2013 award by Preservation Pennsylvania for a renovation of the oldest building on the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. site.

Drew Ballensky | Dec 2, 2013

Army Corps of Engineers workers displaced during renovation of federal building in Huntington, W. Va.

A $47.6 million overhaul of the Huntington Federal Building in Huntington, West Virginia, includes altered traffic lanes on adjoining streets and the displacement of some of the more than 500 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees who work in the building.

Drew Ballensky | Nov 25, 2013

Plans for massive redevelopment of Ft. Monmouth in New Jersey likely to be revised

The redevelopment of Fort Monmouth, a former New Jersey army base, is likely to be revised on a building-by-building and parcel-by-parcel basis, officials say.

Drew Ballensky | Nov 18, 2013

Office design trends spurring office building renovations in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Key office design trends such as downsizing of overall space, more open floor plans, and the inclusion of more collaborative workspaces are prompting property owners in Grand Rapids, Mich., to renovate thousands of square feet of office space.

Drew Ballensky | Nov 11, 2013

Reconstruction of historic Salzburg, Austria railroad station took complex planning

Salzburg, Austria’s Central Station remained in operation during reconstruction, a feat that required complex planning.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021