STUART, Fla. (July 6, 2004) – A company that has pioneered a unique steel framing building method has received verification through the NASA-funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) that its homes will withstand most earthquakes.

Innovative Structural Systems (ISS) is the brainchild of John L. Rizzotto, Sr., a veteran mason and builder. In 2001, Rizzotto began developing a rapid steel framing system that is part of the structure’s foundation instead of simply attached to the foundation. As a result, the system plumbs, levels and squares the structure prior to pouring the concrete foundation. The homes also boast an all-metal, lifetime roof system composed of steel trusses, corrugated steel sheeting, a steel sub-fascia and a finished standing seam metal roof.

Rizzotto was contacted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, which provides independent third-party evaluation and testing of products and materials to keep builders on the leading edge of technology, and the International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention. Both groups felt that Innovative Structural Systems has the potential for a revolutionary level of seismic and tornado resistance.

“We knew that the system meets or exceeds requirements for uplift and wind shear, but we needed to prove that our houses would withstand most earthquakes,” said Rizzotto. “Verification of seismic resistance would open a lot of doors for us.”

Fortunately, Rizzotto heard about SATOP from the Martin County Business Development Board. SATOP provides free engineering assistance to small businesses with technical challenges through donations of time and expertise from 49 Space Alliance Partners throughout the country. Rizzotto submitted a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA) to SATOP asking for help verifying his building system’s seismic resistance.

Christophe Gilfriche, SATOP senior project engineer, paired Rizzotto’s RTA with Dr. Lei Zhao with the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. UCF has received several NASA contracts in recent years and recently was recognized in Washington D.C. as SATOP's top performing “new” Alliance Partner.

“Dr. Zhao used his expertise in structural engineering to calculate the forces generated by an earthquake and how those forces are transferred within the walls and roof of a structure. He compared his results to the corresponding values for uplift and wind shear,” Gilfriche explained.

Dr. Zhao concluded that because of the steel framing system used by ISS, forces generated by an earthquake would be less than those created by a hurricane with 140-mph winds. Therefore, because ISS homes have been certified to withstand hurricanes, they have the potential of meeting requirements for earthquake codes.

“This independent verification of the system’s ability to withstand seismic forces opens a whole new market for us in California and other earthquake prone areas,” said Rizzotto. “In addition, the fact that the report was produced by SATOP and UCF certainly lends even more credibility to Innovative Structural Systems.”