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Tag Archives: Structural Engineering
A Steel-Framed House
Most California houses are wood-framed. Typically, the walls are built with wood studs and covered with plywood and gypsum board; floors, ceilings, and roofs are built with wood joists, rafters, and trusses. We have designed many of these. The other … Continue reading
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Tagged architecture, Construction, Design, Green Homes, Housing, Real Estate, Remodeling, Steel house, Structural Engineering
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A Trend in Home Remodeling: Knocking Down the Walls!
“Knocking down the walls” was the general theme of several projects we did last year at OAK Structural. In most cases, the clients wanted to remove and/or rearrange interior walls of their homes as part of a kitchen remodeling project. … Continue reading
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Tagged architecture, Construction, Design, House-hunting, Housing, kitchen remodel, Real Estate, Remodeling, Structural Engineering
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How Earthquake-Resilient is Your City?
This week I attended the 2012 Northern California Earthquake Hazards Workshop at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park. I was particularly interested in hearing the presentations and a panel discussion on “Implementing and Exporting SPUR’s Resilient City Initiative.” SPUR … Continue reading
The First Seismic Retrofitting Project in the World!
A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to visit the Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofya) in Istanbul, Turkey. Built originally as a church in the 4thCentury by a Roman Emperor, it was damaged by earthquakes and fires over the centuries, … Continue reading
An ABAG Workshop: “Shaken Awake- Creative Ways to Strengthen Housing and Promote Community Resilience in Today’s Economy”
The search words that lead some readers to this blog site indicate that many home owners and home buyers are worried about their vulnerabilities to earthquakes, how to reduce their earthquake risk exposure, what makes a house earthquake-resistant, and how … Continue reading
Your Earthquake Risk Exposure Part II- Seismic Retrofitting
In the previous article, I talked about your earthquake risk that is related to indirect effects of earthquakes on your house, such as liquefaction, tsunamis, flooding caused by dam failures, landslides, firestorms triggered by the earthquake, etc. Your best option … Continue reading
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Tagged Bay Area, Construction, Design, Earthquakes, Real Estate, Remodeling, Seismic Retrofit, Structural Engineering
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Can We Design for Tsunamis?
After writing my last blog, I was expecting someone to ask, “How can you design for a tsunami?” In California we have been designing buildings to resist earthquakes since 1930’s. Over the years our building codes have evolved and improved, … Continue reading
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Tagged Design, Earthquakes, Real Estate, Structural Engineering, Tsunamis
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Value of Earthquake Resistance
Foundations, walls, columns, floor and roof joists, trusses, and beams are elements that form the structural system of a building. Structural systems carry the building’s weight, as well as the weight of its contents and occupants. They also enable the … Continue reading
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Tagged Bay Area, Design, Earthquakes, Real Estate, Structural Engineering
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Pictures from New Zealand Earthquake
Here is a link for those who have never seen a post-earthquake disaster area. Note that most collapsed buildings are “Unreinforced Masonry” (stone or brick) and “Nonductile Concrete Buildings” (the buildings that tend to “pancake” in earthquakes). In California we have somewhat … Continue reading
Myths of Loma Prieta Earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 17, 1989. It measured Magnitude 6.9 on Richter scale, and its epicenter was located about 9 miles North-East of Santa Cruz. A section of the Bay Bridge, numerous buildings in San Francisco’s Marina … Continue reading
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Tagged Bay Area, Construction, Design, Earthquakes, Real Estate, Structural Engineering
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