Soft Story Buildings

02/23/23

“What are soft story buildings?”

Multistory buildings come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. However, sometimes they’re built with a first floor with significantly less stiffness than the stories above it. These usually come in structures with parking spaces or open commercial spaces on the ground level. This lack of support often causes the building to “pancake” (falling on top of itself) during earthquakes. Engineers and Earthquake Planners have termed these buildings Soft Story Buildings and are some of the most dangerous urban earthquake hazards.

As of writing, victims of the 2023 Türkiye – Syria earthquake are continuing to face great difficulties in their daily life. To make a difference, please make a donation to organizations such as the Syrian White Helmets and the Anatolian Arts Institute Earthquake Relief Fund. My friends are also connecting donations to small municipalities and vetted organizations through the venmo account @earthquake-relief. Anything you send will go a long way.

Image credit Wikimedia.org