Non-Ductile Concrete Building and Steel Frame Seismic Retrofitting:

During several historic earthquakes in Northridge California, Mexico City, and Christchurch, New Zealand, many unreinforced or and reinforced concrete buildings constructed prior to the 1976 Los Angeles City Building Code provisions, or similar era codes in other States or Countries, performed poorly and collapsed, causing loss of human life, personal injury, and property damage as a result of these earthquakes. The poor seismic performance of these older concrete buildings can be attributed to deficiencies in the lateral force-resisting systems of these structures that render them incapable of sustaining or supporting gravity loads when the building is subjected to movement during ground-shaking/ earthquakes.

What is a Non-Ductile Building?

This is a concrete building having concrete floors and/or roofs, either with or without beams, supported by concrete walls and/or concrete columns, and/or concrete frames with or without masonry (block or brick) infills, or any combination thereof, built pursuant to a permit application for a new building that was submitted before January 13, 1977.

Seismic Retrofitting:

Subject to structural analysis, typically non-ductile or steel frame buildings that fall under this ordinance are retrofitted using one or a combination of reinforced concrete shear walls or special moment frame (steel frame) systems that tie the floors and wall systems together. These systems are supported by large isolated and/ or continuous reinforced concrete foundation systems.

Additional Services - Structural Repairs/ Modifications of Concrete or Steel Frame Structures:

In addition to the earthquake engineering and construction services we provide, we also perform all types of structural repair and upgrades to these buildings including:

• Concrete column and girder (beam) repairs
• Concrete roof repair
• Crack Repairs
• Structural requirements for load increases including upgrades for mechanical, use changes, etc.…

Why Alpha Structural, Inc?

Alpha Structural, Inc. is a Design/Build specialty firm specializing in all aspects of modifying, repairing or retrofitting existing buildings. With engineering and contractor credentials unparalleled anywhere else in the region, we have been a known leader in the structural industry for over 25 years. As a design/build outfit, we are able to design site-specific engineered solution, provide cost projections prior to committing deeply into design phases and providing high quality value engineering and constructions services which limits liability, increases transparency, reduces costs and provides peace of mind to our clients.

Having done over ten thousand structural repair, upgrade and retrofit projects on single-family, multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings throughout Los Angeles and surrounding cities, we pride ourselves on our quality of work and experience in getting projects completed on –time and on-budget with minimal risk.