The SidePlate Timeline

The following is a summary of key events, research and most notable projects that have transpired since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the catalyst for the invention of SidePlate by David Houghton, S.E.

January 1994

Northridge earthquake strikes Southern California. The traditional steel special moment resisting frame (SMRF) connection used in buildings for over 25 years fails to perform. Local engineers scramble for solutions.

Spring 1994

Many cities, counties and jurisdictional agencies issue emergency moratoriums on construction using what is now referred to as the Pre-Northridge moment connection.

The City of Los Angeles created its own emergency task force to investigate and address the newly discovered connection failures and vulnerabilities.

September 1994

David Houghton, a structural engineer with years of experience in seismic engineering around the world, realizes a simple solution to a complex problem.

He sketches out his idea, later named SidePlate™, and begins sharing it with colleagues. One of them, from the County of Los Angeles, strongly urges that he submit it for testing at University of California at San Diego's Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories.

January 1995

Initial design development and full scale prototype cyclic testing of SidePlate's basic uniaxial moment connection technology (known as SureFrame™) is complete.

April 1995

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors officially stated that "...the [SidePlate™] technology provides the first and only answer to-date to the steel moment-resisting frame (SMRF) connection issue, and will enable the timely completion of Health Facilities Replacement and Improvement Program projects that utilize SMRF systems...saving the County tens of millions of dollars in redesign and critical path schedule delay costs."

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in 8 Major County of Los Angeles Hospital Projects.

May 1995

The County of Los Angeles forms a technical advisory panel (LACO-TAP), composed of nationally recognized steel frame researchers and engineers, to independently scrutinize over a period of 18 months SidePlate connection technology to insure its testing, parametric non-linear analyses, design development, fabrication and erection rigorously address and resolve every concern that surfaced after the Northridge earthquake.

June 1995

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the seismic strengthening of the Harman International Business Campus, Northridge, CA, minimizing tenant disruption by completing erection in only one day

July 1995

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Methodist Hospital, Arcadia, CA, featuring curved moment frames-first major hospital to be permitted and start construction following the Northridge earthquake.

August 1995

Merit award presented to SidePlate Systems, Inc. by Modern Steel Construction Magazine, a publication of the American Institute of Steel Construction.

SidePlate connection technology is highlighted in FEMA 267.

February 1996

Engineering News Record Magazine recognizes David L. Houghton, inventor of SidePlate connection technology, as one of 1995's Top 25 Newsmakers for "devising a joint that resists the kind of cracking in steel moment resisting frames triggered by the 1994 Northridge earthquake."

David Houghton presents "A Case Study: The Steel Moment Frame Problem, The Engineer's Perspective" paper during the 1996 EERI Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California.

March 1996

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in a large custom residence, Hidden Hills, CA, featuring 1 and 2-story tube steel moment frames.

May 1996

SidePlate Systems completes the first-ever, full scale testing of its biaxial Dual Strong Axes SMRF Connection (known as SureFrame2™) at the University of California at San Diego's Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories, under the direction of Professor Chia-Ming Uang.

September 1996

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the North County Regional Courthouse Expansion Phase II, Vista, CA, resulting in nearly $1,000,000 savings over Pre-Northridge cost estimates.

December 1996

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the North Field Air Cargo Facility, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA, accommodating a 45' story height with 40'-75' beam spans.

January 1997

David Houghton's article "Steel Frames: Understanding Their Problems" is published in Structural Engineering Forum Magazine.

March 1997

SidePlate receives LACO-TAP's unanimous approval for its immediate use of both its uniaxial SureFrame™ and biaxial SureFrame2™ connection systems in the design and construction of essential facilities owned by the County of Los Angeles, (LACO-TAP SMRF Bulletin No. 3). LACO-TAP concluded "...given the refined SidePlate design methodolgy, the design controls, and completeness of the system qualification of the SidePlate one-sided and two-sided connection, no additional testing is required for LACO-TAP acceptance of one and two-sided connections for implementation on County projects."

March 1997

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Arizona Heart Hospital, Phoenix, AZ.

June 1997

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in 3 Kaiser Medical Office Buildings (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3), Otay Mesa, CA.

August 1997

First U.S. Patent granted for SidePlate connection technology for use in steel frame buildings for earthquake and terrorist bomb blast mitigation design. (U.S. Patent 5,660,017)

David Houghton presents "Prototype Cyclic Testing of the SidePlate Moment Connection System" paper during the Proceedings of the Northridge Earthquake Conference in Los Angeles, California.

November 1997

David Houghton presents in Spanish at the V International Symposium on Steel Structures, Guadalajara, Mexico a paper entitled "Cyclic Performance of the SidePlate™ Moment Connection System".

January 1998

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the 4th Street Mixed Use Building, Santa Monica, CA, resulting in a cost savings with 23 fewer moment connections and 5 tons less steel totaling more than $10,000.

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Orange Coast College Sailing Center Expansion, Newport Beach, CA, resulting in DSA's swift approval without the need for testing.

April 1998

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Albuquerque Heart Hospital, Albuquerque, NM.

May 1998

David Houghton is a featured guest speaker at the Second World Conference on Steel Construction, San Sebastian, Spain. He presents a paper entitled "The SidePlate Moment Connection: A Design Breakthrough Eliminating Recognised Vulnerabilities in Steel Moment-Resisting Frame Connections".

August 1998

Second U.S. Patent granted for SidePlate connection technology (known as SureBent™) for use in steel frame buildings for increased blast resistant design, earthquakes, tornadoes and other large scale disasters. (U.S. Patent 6,138,427)

October 1998

David Houghton has published in proceedings of the 5th Pacific Structural Steel Conference, Seoul, Korea a paper entitled, "The SidePlate Moment Connection: Meeting the Steel Frame Challenges of the 21st Century with Simplicity and Reliability at Low Cost" during.

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Workers Compensation Fund of Utah Headquarters, Sandy, UT, saving over $500,000 in foundation costs over other connection system proposals.

January 1999

SidePlate becomes the only moment connection system to achieve unlimited pre-qualification for implementation without additional testing by ICBO.

First foreign patent granted in New Zealand for SidePlate connection technology for use in steel frame buildings for earthquake and terrorist bomb blast mitigation design. (New Zealand Patent 300,351)

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the La Jolla Village Towers New Care Center, La Jolla, CA, using W36x256 beams.

February 1999

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame+™ in the design of United States Federal Courthouse, Laredo, Texas, featuring concrete-filled tube steel columns.

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's biaxial braced Dual System (known as SureBrace2™) in FAA's Sea-Tac Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington.

May 1999

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ and SureFrame2™ in the California State University San Bernardino, Behavioral and Social Sciences Building, San Bernardino, CA.

June 1999

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Sherman Oaks Galleria Phase II, Sherman Oaks, CA, to accommodate 42 feet story height.

December 1999

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Pepperdine University Communication, Business and Public Safety Building, Malibu, California.

January 2000

SidePlate becomes the only moment connection system to achieve unlimited prequalification for implementation without additional testing by the City of Los Angeles (RR25393).

David Houghton has published in proceedings of the 12th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Auckland, New Zealand a paper entitled "Steel Frame Connection Technology of the New Millennium: Satisfying Heightened Performance Expectations with Simplicity and Reliability at Low Cost".

February 2000

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the seismic retrofit of the Vintage at the Rose Clubhouse, Oxnard, CA, as featured in FEMA 351.

March 2000

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Pacific Command Headquarters Building, Camp H.M. Smith, Oahu, Hawaii, to mitigate progressive floor collapse due to terrorist bomb blast.

April 2000

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Kaiser Medical Office Building Vandever Expansion Phase 1, San Diego, California.

July 2000

SidePlate connection technology is highlighted in FEMA 350 and FEMA 351 for both new and retrofit construction, respectively.

October 2000

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the 800,000s.f. Concrete Tilt-Up Warehouse for Ingram Micro, Inc., Mira Loma, California.

January 2001

SidePlate hires Henry Gallart, S.E. as Vice President to manage new office headquarters in Cypress, California, due to its growing success.

February 2001

Seattle is hit by a 6.8 earthquake and the new air traffic control tower, constructed with SidePlate's SureBrace2™ only a month prior to the quake, suffers no structural damage.

Windows break and structural steel connections fracture on the existing air traffic control tower, causing the airport to shut down for five hours.

March 2001

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Sharp Healthcare Grossmont Hospital, San Diego, California.

May 2001

SidePlate launches state-of-the-art web site (www.sideplate.com).

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™and SureFrame+™ in FAA's Sea-Tac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Facility, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington.

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in Aviva Elementary School, Los Angeles, California.

August 2001

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the 400,000 square foot concrete tilt-up warehouse, Mira Loma, California.

November 2001

Jesse E. Karns is a featured guest speaker at the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) National Symposium on Comprehensive Force Protection, The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina. He presents a paper entitled "Effective Mitigation of Progressive Floor Collapse in Steel Frame Buildings Using Discreet Structural Continuity Across a Failed Column."

Orange County Register publishes a front page article in the Business section entitled, "Putting the Squeeze on Building Safety".

December 2001

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Kaiser Administration Building, San Diego, California.

January 2002

Chicago Tribune publishes a front page article in the Business section entitled, "New technology may help make buildings quake- and bomb-proof".

Washington Post publishes a front page article in the Business section entitled, "Big Buildings Made to Stay Up".

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Thousand Oaks Medical Office Building, Thousand Oaks, California.

February 2002

F.W. Dodge Texas Construction publishes article in the Industry News Section entitled "Steel Frame Offers Strong Safeguard Against Threats"

RAM International integrates direct link from RAM Structural System software to SidePlate Systems, Inc. offering RAM users opportunity to receive an alternate lateral analysis of their computer model using SidePlate™ connection technology.

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Kaiser Sand Canyon Medical Office Building, Irvine, California.

March 2002

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Mixed-Use Office Buildings, Daugherty Sky Harbor Long Beach Municipal Airport, California.

April 2002

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Los Robles Hospital, Thousand Oaks, California.

May 2002

Awarded contract to implement SidePlate's SureFrame™ in the Command General and Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to mitigate progressive floor collapse due to terrorist bomb blast.