Skip to main content

Soft first story

The Northridge Meadows apartment building suffered collapse in the Northridge earthquake of 1994. The first floor of the building was mostly open for auto parking under the apartments. The wood frame structure collapsed and the open parking story disappeared.

Which typical soft first story condition existed?
A. flexible first floor
B. discontinuity: indirect load path
C. heavy superstructure

AnswerA. flexible first floor. The first floor was more flexible than the upper floors with a large discrepancy in stiffness.
ARE 4.0 exam prep: SS

Comments

Post a Comment

Try These Too!

Building Efficiency

Convert the usable area of classrooms planned with medium efficiency level of new construction to the gross building area given the following model factors: Net Assignable Square Feet: 10,000, Space Factor: 1.5, Building Efficiency Ratio: 67%
6 comments
See the answer »

Spec coordination

In case there is a discrepancy between specifications and the drawings, which takes precedence? Answer Neither, A201 considers these - quote - complementary and what is required by one shall be binding as if required by all.- unquote. ARE 4.0 exam prep: CDS
2 comments
See the answer »

Shoring

A slurry wall is a narrow trench filled with a slurry mixture composed of bentonite clay and water, enabling it to resist pressure from the surrounding earth. What type temporary support is this? A. Bracing B. Sheeting C. Underpinning Answer B. It is a type of sheeting. ARE 4.0 exam prep: SPD
2 comments
See the answer »