Quote:
Originally Posted by Otis Criblecoblis
The building codes around here are exceedingly stringent, and they get more so after every earthquake, as more is learned. It's impossible to build a frame structure cheaply, or dangerously, around here—unless someone's paying off the inspectors.
As someone has mentioned quite recently in these pages, wood-frame construction is the most suitable method for such a structure hereabouts, in terms of safety and durability.
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Frankly I'm not intimately familiar with current building codes in Los Angeles, but as one who was educated as a Geologist before focusing on other directions I have no problem in saying there is no such thing as a multi-story building of wood frame construction that can survive even a moderate Earthquake without suffering significant or even catastrophic damage. They don't even do well within a couple of hundred feet of faults of far less stress potential than an Earthquake, which is why the State of California has a statewide moratorium on new construction of any nature within 300 feet of a known fault line. And that is without even considering the fire hazard from broken natural gas lines that can easily occur with an Earthquake. Broken gas and water lines from Earthquakes = out of control fires! In the case of the fire that took out the apartment building under construction there apparently was insufficient water available to even seriously fight the fire without Earthquake damaged water mains. As for cost comparisons with other materials, it goes without saying every construction project is typically built with the least costly materials acceptable to local building codes.