Soft Story Seismic Retrofitting
The Xlart Group is an expert in retrofitting of soft story apartments and condos. The City of Los Angeles has enacted a mandatory retrofit program to mitigate the hazards posed by these buildings. There are over 13,000 apartments and condos in the city of Los Angeles are may need to be seismically retrofitted. If your the owner of a building that
What is a soft story?
A soft story is when the walls of the ground floor of a building are weaker then the walls above. This situation often occurs when parking is located below the building. During an earthquake the weaker floor can collapse causing significant damage to the building and putting lives of the occupants in danger.
Does my building have a soft story?
Buildings that are part of the seismic retrofitting requirement:
1. Are two or more stories wood frame construction
2. Were constructed before the 1978 building code
3. Have parking or other features on the first floor with large openings that can cause a soft or weak story
If your building meets these conditions you will receive a notice from the City of Los Angeles informing you of the need to retrofit your structure.
What do i need to do next?
You should contact a licensed professional to help you evaluate your building and decide on the best course of action. The Xlart Group can help you through the entire process from working with an engineer to evaluate and design the retrofitting, to permitting the project through the city, and Finally through construction and city inspections.
Contact us today at 818-654-5777 or fill out the form below
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