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Structural Risk
Seismic Services
 The Structural Risk Engineering division is well known for
its expertise in evaluating earthquake risks to facilities.
Information generated from a risk assessment is used by our
engineers to assist clients in developing long-term risk
reduction strategies. Typically, these strategies involve
the upgrade and rehabilitation of existing buildings and
equipment, development of improved operating procedures,
transferring the risk through insurance, and/or improved
emergency response and business recovery plans.
The division works closely with clients to evaluate all
reasonable alternatives prior to selecting a final solution.
In all such projects, the objective is to find the most cost-effective
solution, with minimal impact to ongoing operations. Companies
and organizations often face conflicting demands; as output
or services must be continuous, yet safety and environmental
standards cannot be compromised. These goals must often be
also achieved under tight financial constraints.
The Structural Risk Engineering Division is currently providing
earthquake-engineering services to the General Services Administration
(GSA). The services include the performance of seismic hazard
evaluations of numerous structures located throughout the
Midwest and East Coast. The evaluations are to identify structural
and non-structural deficiencies, evaluate their significance
and prioritize their importance with respect to the integrity
of the structure. For the buildings found to be structurally
deficient for seismic forces, conceptual details along with
corresponding opinions of costs were developed to remedy
the deficiencies.
The seismic evaluations of GSA structures are based on
the most current federal standards for the seismic evaluation
and retrofit of existing buildings. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) publication FEMA 310, Handbook
for the Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings, utilizes
a three-tiered approach for the seismic evaluations. Buildings
are evaluated to either a Life Safety of Immediate Occupancy
Performance Level using a progressive analysis technique.
Structures which were found to be deficient in accordance
with FEMA 310 are retrofitted in accordance with the criteria
of FEMA 356, Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings. The
retrofit criteria in FEMA 356, which is generally considered
to be the progressive criteria for seismic retrofit currently
available, provides for a performance-based retrofit design.
Over the past 20+ years, Structural Risk Engineering
has provided the above services for thousands of clients
throughout the world. Clients include major corporations,
more than 100 utilities, local and state government agencies,
and several U.S. federal government installations.
For more information, contact:
Darrell Barker
Vice President and Business Unit Manager
1-210-495-5195 | dbarker@absconsulting.com
Nathan Gould, D.Sc., P.E., S.E.
Chief of Technology
1-314-994-7007 | ngould@absconsulting.com
Business Development Team:
Mikael Kallros, P.E., S.E.
West Coast and International
1-714-734-4242 | mkallros@absconsulting.com
Mark Mainridge
Rockies
1-303-674-2990 | mmainridge@absconsulting.com
Mark Whitney
South
1-210-495-5195 | mwhitney@absconsulting.com |
