LATEST QUAKE CODE STRICTER

New building requirements for earthquake design will make commercial buildings more costly, but safer, area architects and engineers say.

And, even though Cape Girardeau doesn't enforce seismic design requirements on residential construction, the escalating costs of earthquake insurance will likely force homeowners to opt for stricter safety measures to protect their investment.

State Farm and Farmers Insurance companies are increasing deductibles on earthquake policies from 2 to 10 percent over the next year, and Farmers Group isn't selling new earthquake policies.

Other companies, such as AAA Insurance, said they would offer quake insurance with 2-, 5- and 10-percent deductibility.

Cape Girardeau's supervisor of inspectors, Rick Murray, said the new BOCA building code requirements call for stronger material and more stringent interior design.

"Instead of using a three-eighths-inch bolt to hold the frame to a foundation wall, the new requirements call for a half-inch bolt," Murray said.

Engineers, architects and code officials attended an Earthquake Design seminar at Arena Park this week to learn of the stricter seismic standards.

The 1990 seismic design code dealt mostly with the building's structure, but with the 1993 code, the seismic design section has been updated considerably, local architect Tony Sebek said.

There are more stipulations on how calculations are to be made according to the width and height of a commercial building.

In addition, the type of ground the building will stand on is also part of the overall design calculation.

Because Cape Girardeau has considerable bedrock, homes and commercial buildings could withstand a moderate earthquake.

"Bedrock is better than porous soil because it withstands the energy of the quake better," Sebek said.

And, he added, most homes with frame construction will withstand a moderate earthquake.

"The worst construction you can have is unreinforced masonry," Sebek said. "You don't have any reinforcement to withstand the shock."

Unreinforced masonry is simply brick held together by mortar and no wood frame.

"Most of the homes around here have a brick veneer, which isn't used for structural purposes," Sebek said. "The wood frame is what provides the support."

In addition to stronger material, the new code stipulates how pipes should be hung along the use of various other materials inside the building.

More rules deal with the building's mechanical and electrical structure, Sebek said.

"The bottom line is making a structure safe enough to enable people to evacuate from a building without any loss of life," he said.

The increase in cost for commercial projects is expected to be 5 to 6 percent.

"That's for the total project," engineer Dave Pfeiffer said. "But when you're talking about the structure itself, it's probably more along the lines of 15 percent."

The code is even stricter for hospitals, police stations and communications outlets.

Those buildings need to withstand the quake's initial shock and still function for emergency purposes.