About the author  ⁄ Nik Favretto, P.E.

Nik Favretto is a Principal in the San Francisco, CA, office of FTF Engineering and leads the high-end home design market for the firm. (nfavretto@ftfengineering.com)

Light wood framed residential construction has historically performed well in seismic events. The combination of low mass, redundancy, and damping resulting from damage of finishes allow the buildings to see large inelastic deformations without collapse. In high-end residential construction, this may no longer be the norm. Clients are choosing finishes that are heavier and more brittle, such as natural stone veneers and tile floors over lightweight concrete topping.

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STRUCTURE magazine