1906 Earthquake Research Paper

In 1906 San Francisco suffered a devastating earthquake and fire. Naturally, this brought a building boom to the area; making the years 1906 to 1910 Maybeck’s most productive. One year after the earthquake Professor Andrew Lawson (famous geologists associated with the Golden Gate Bridge) asked Maybeck to design his house. However, around that time, Lawson also had discovered that the Hayward Fault ran almost directly underneath where his house was suppose to be build. Instead of picking a different location he became obsessed in creating a house that could withstand earthquakes. After researching, Lawson came to the conclusion that concrete would be the most earthquake proof. This worked well for Maybeck, who was also fascinated by concrete as a building material as many other well know architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Julia Morgan were experimented with concrete around that time. …show more content…
Also, Pompeian homes were originally created out of masonry construction, making concrete an easy substitute. The house was essentially a long rectangle with extruding rooms on the north and south sides. The simple design was complimented, by elaborate sgrafitto designs found on the back and sides of the house. The interior is also simple, but elegant. There is also a clear horizontal flow to the first floor as a view can be seen from one side of the house to the other when standing in the center. The second floor is composed of five bedrooms which all have corresponding sleeping porch niches