ROMB Structural Engineering

The City of Los Angeles passed an Ordinance requiring the retrofit of all wood-frame Soft-Story buildings. A typical Soft-Story building is a building consisting of two or more stories located over a ground level with large openings, such as tuck under parking, garages, or a commercial store front. Without proper strengthening of these buildings, the building may be subjected to structural failure during and/or after an earthquake.

How to Protect a Soft Story Structure

The first step in any soft-story seismic retrofitting project is to analyze the structure and determine the best way to strengthen the building. One of our Engineers will have to weigh several factors when deciding the best way to approach the project. Not only do we have to ensure the building will meet the structural standards required of retrofitted buildings, but we also have to minimize the impact on the function and use of the building. Here at ROMB Structural Engineering we use different approaches to complete a soft-story seismic retrofit always thinking for our clients.