Red Cross Emergency Health Center in El Salvador

In collaboration with Charlottesville-based Building Goodness Foundation and architect Russell Skinner,  Curry & Associates is providing pro bono structural engineering services for a new health center in San Sebastian, El Salvador.  The two story concrete framed building is located in a very high seismicity area.
We’ll be using the International Building Code to guide our design.  But how do we know what intensity of earthquake shaking to design for in El Salvador?
Enter the USGS and their worldwide “design maps” web application. Just enter the longitude and latitude of your site, and voila! You’ve got the basic ground acceleration criteria for the site.

The project is the brainchild of Nursing Students Without Borders (NSWB).  Learn more about NWSB’s long involvement in San Sebastian here.  And check out NSWB’s facebook page for more up to date info.