J. Peter Devereaux, FAIA, LEED AP, Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles
Kit Miyamoto, SE, Miyamoto International, West Sacramento, Calif.

      April 2006 marks 100 years since San Francisco endured the most damaging natural disaster in California’s history. Examine the accomplishments of the past century and review the best engineering practices and research, using a past, present, and future perspective of building responses to earthquakes. Analyze the 1906 historic benchmark, evaluating where building risks currently are and seeing what the future holds for reducing earthquake damage and business interruption.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the conditions of the 1906 earthquake, analyzing why some buildings suffered extreme damage while others did not
• Identify the current state of seismic technology, and summarize the modern marvels and limitations
• Explore the technology advances of performance-based engineering, and discuss how future buildings will be designed for earthquake conditions.