The goal of this assignment is to evaluate the seismic risks of either your dwelling (home, condo, apartment, trailer, etc.) or your workplace.
Your job is to investigate as many of the following items as possible, and to summarize your findings in a 3-4 page, double-spaced, typed report. You can present information in the same order as the list below, or organize items within the report as you wish.
(1) The full name of building (if applicable) and the year in which it was constructed.
(2) Use(s) of building (e.g., office building w/10 small retail outlets)
(3) Does this building house any hazardous materials such as medical waste, nuclear weapons, chemicals (incl. household products), etc.? What, if any, special provisions are made for their stability and the safety of human occupants during an earthquake?
(4) Occupancy: estimate the average number of occupants during (a) business hours (roughly 7 am - 6 pm) and (b) other times of day. There is no need to identify the co-habitants of your dwelling or reveal details of your personal life!
(5) Materials of which the building is constructed; typical choices include
URM (unreinforced masonry) wood reinforced concrete block ductile reinforced concrete nonductile reinforced concrete concrete tilt-up (many office buildings) steel frame
If the building consists of mixed materials, describe how each material provides support or architectural decoration. You may use other terms if appropriate; for instance, you can also try classifying the building using the ISO classification (1B, 2A, 4D, etc) in the notes.
6. Is the building "free-standing" or is it physically in contact with an adjacent building or buildings? If in contact, are the buildings of similar height?
7. Describe the design of the building: What is its footprint? (box? L-shape? etc.) Is the structure symmetric? Is the first floor open, solid, braced w/shear walls or cross-bracing, etc? Is it a HOG (House Over Garage)? What is its height? (in feet or # of stories) Estimate the percentage of the outside that is faced with glass. Are there overhangs, parapets, or brick chimneys? Any other relevant features?
8. Evaluate the nonstructural hazards of the building, which means ANYTHING on the interior that may result in property damage or casualties. Some examples (there are many others) of things to look for: stability of bookshelves or cabinets storage of loose items, especially heavy ones, especially on high shelves hot water heater, generators, other heavy equipment and machinery: bolted down? access for handicapped persons?
I don't expect a structural engineering report, so just use normal English words to describe what you see. Write in full sentences and paragraphs; do not use extended outline form. I will more impressed by a wrong conjecture than by "playing it safe:" venture a guess, and try various ways to obtain hard-to-get information.
You may find it helpful to include a drawing or sketch of the building, perhaps with labeled features (A, B, C, etc) discussed in the text. It is OK to include a photograph, but this is NOT EXPECTED. Do not include more than 2 pages of photos, sketches, or other graphics.
This is an open-ended project; I don't know what you're going to find. The more you look, the more details you'll learn, but remember that I stop reading after 4 pages. Good hunting.
WARNING: Avoid plagiarism. SJSU has a strongly worded academic dishonesty policy that interprets plagiarism to include the use of five (5) consecutive words without proper citation. Present material in your own words, and cite a source if you didn't think of it or if isn't common knowledge. Plagiarism will earn you a grade of F on this paper.