Brian Knight Receives USRC Rater Certification
Vancouver, WA, February 3, 2015
WRK Engineers to offer USCR Verified Ratings
The United States Resilience Council (USRC) Certification Committee has certified WRK Engineers Principal, Brian Knight, as a USRC Rating Professional. The USRC’s mission is to establish and implement meaningful rating systems that describe the performance of buildings during earthquakes and other natural disasters. The USRC aims to educate the general public so they understand these risks and thereby improve societal resilience.
The USRC Building Rating System identifies expected consequences of an earthquake or other natural disaster affecting existing buildings. The rating system assigns one to five stars for three performance measures:
- Safety – Expressed as potential to get out of the building unharmed.
- Damage – Expressed as a percentage of the building replacement cost.
- Recovery – Expressed as time to regain basic function.
The rating considers the performance of a building’s structure, as well as its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and architectural components such as cladding, windows, partitions, and ceilings. The performance of these elements directly affects the three measures of safety, damage and recovery. The USRC plaque is the building owner’s mark of commitment to tenant safety, minimal damage, and quick recovery in the event of a natural disaster.
Image courtesy of USRC
Under the USRC system building owners can hire certified rating professionals for two types of ratings: Verified Ratings or Transaction Ratings. A USRC Earthquake Verified Rating is used by building owners for promotional, marketing, and publicity purposes to distinguish buildings to potential tenants. A USRC Transaction Earthquake Rating is used for transactional due diligence that accommodates both the schedule and cost demands of the leasing, sales, finance, and insurance markets for commercial real estate.
Brian has over 20 years of experience providing expert structural engineering and seismic resiliency services to clients across a broad spectrum of sectors. His passion for earthquake safety and recovery are demonstrated by his career focus on seismic risk and resiliency performance of buildings, structures, and critical infrastructure. Brian is certified by the USRC to perform Verified and Transaction Ratings for clients across the United States.
If you’d like to learn more give WRK Engineers a call today!