Location building detail fields
Validation rules for fields related to secondary building characterisitcs, that is, for the building details.of a location.
Our individual risk methodology follows a structured, logical approach that groups building characteristics according to their function to reflect the contribution of each characteristic to overall building performance. For information about the secondary risk characteristics that are supported in a specific model, refer to the "Model in Touchstone” chapter in the model description, which is available on the Client Portal. Documentation for some Verisk models includes a separate document that serves as a guide to the secondary risk characteristics (SRC) used in the model.
Click the following links for information about Location Surrounding Detail fields, such as custom elevation and flood fields, and about Location Connection Detail fields, such as Foundation Type.
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Field |
Perils |
Description |
Validation Rules |
Default Value |
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Floor of Interest |
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Floor of interest in cases in which the entire building is not covered at this location. The following list describes each value.
Enter replacement values (Replacement Value Building, Replacement Value Content, and Replacement Value Time) for the floor of interest, not for the whole building. For the hurricane peril, use this field with terrain roughness and adjacent building height. Different floors of the building experience varying degrees of damage. The nature of damage experienced by each floor can also be different. |
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Floor Area |
n/a |
This field does not affect losses. Total floor area for the building at this location The floor area units that you have specified determine the unit in which you should specify the value for this field. |
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0 |
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Floor Area Units |
n/a |
One of the following units of measurement for the floor area:
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Floor Occupied |
n/a |
This field does not affect losses. Single floor or range of floors occupied in the building at this location |
Optional |
[NULL] |
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Building Condition |
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One of the following general qualitative descriptions of the condition of the building at this location, based on visual inspection of the building cladding and maintenance:
The external appearance of cladding and maintenance gives a qualitative estimate of expected performance. For earthquakes: Buildings with signs of distress or duress, such as cracking due to aging and ground settlement or overloading or cracking due to damage from previous earthquakes, are likely to experience additional damage during an earthquake. For earthquakes, the default is "Average". For hurricanes: Buildings with signs of distress or duress are likely to experience additional damage during a tropical cyclone. Some examples of these signs are an aging roof, exterior walls, or cladding; loose roof tiles or chimney damage; or damage from previous tropical cyclones. |
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The default may vary for wind models, but is generally Unknown (0). |
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Building Shape |
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One of the following values to describe the overall shape of the footprint of the building at this location:
Shape is critical for the performance of a structure, especially for large commercial buildings. In general, simple regular forms, like squares and rectangles, perform better than combinations of those, such as L- and T-shaped buildings. The sharp corners in these complex shapes are vulnerable. |
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Unknown/default (0) |
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Torsion |
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One of the following values to describe the layout of structural elements that can lead to torsional loads in the building at this location:
Wedge-shaped buildings and corner buildings are typical examples in which the lateral load-resisting components in a building are placed asymmetrically. This leads to torsional forces being induced when the building is shaken, which can lead to significant damage. |
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Unknown/default (0) |
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Soft Story |
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One of the following values to indicate whether there is structural weakness at any floor in the building at this location:
This field is applicable only if the number of stories is 2 or greater. First-floor garages and taller first floors are likely to exhibit soft-story behavior. The weakness is usually in the lateral load-resisting capacity of the floor and can often result in total (pancaking) collapse of the floor. In residential buildings, it is most often found in the first floor due to large openings or garages. In multi-story buildings, it can be present at any floor, although a large number of case histories exist with collapse of the first floor. |
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Unknown/default (0) |
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Structural Irregularity |
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One of the following values to describe irregularity in such things as floor plans, structural components, uneven weight distribution, etc. for the building at this location:
Touchstone no longer support the Regular (1) value. If you use this value, Touchstone maps it to Unknown/default (0) upon import. Structural irregularities can lead to catastrophic collapse of properties as witnessed in the Mexico City and Kobe earthquakes. |
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Unknown/default (0) |
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Special Earthquake-Resistive Systems |
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One of the following values to indicate whether there are earthquake-resistive systems installed in the building at this location:
Some new commercial buildings (mainly in California and Japan) have special devices/design elements to resist earthquake loads. Structures with special design have performed satisfactorily in recent events, such as Northridge. |
Optional |
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Retrofit Measures |
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One of the following values to describe any retrofit measured used in the building at this location:
A properly retrofitted structure can resist earthquakes even though the original structural form had weaknesses. |
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Short Column |
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One of the following values to indicate whether there are short columns in the building at this location:
This field applies to old concrete structures in which the fill height of some columns has been restricted by spandrel beams or infill walls. If some of the columns along the perimeter are shorter than the adjacent columns, there is high chance that the shorter columns can no longer bear the loads for which they were originally designed. |
Optional |
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Ornamentation |
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One of the following values to describe the amount of decorative elements attached to exterior of the building at this location:
Decorative elements may fall during an earthquake. Examples include unreinforced or unbraced parapet walls or entryway roofs, which can break off during excessive shaking. |
Optional |
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Water Heater |
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One of the following values to indicate whether the water heater in the building at this location is braced:
If the water heater in a residential building is not properly secured, it can topple during earthquakes and cause damage, to both itself and any part of the structure underneath it. |
Optional |
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Redundancy |
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One of the following values to indicate whether there are multiple lateral load-resisting elements (frames or shear walls) in the building at this location:
Redundancy provides additional reinforcement against earthquake damage. |
Optional |
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Tall One Story |
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One of the following values to describe the height of the one-story building at this location:
Single story buildings that are taller than typical one-story structures (e.g., churches, gymnasiums, auditoriums, etc.) have been observed to experience more damage. The majority of the seismic weight of the building (the building's roof) is further from the ground, which may induce larger overturning forces. The structure may also contain slender elements that may be more likely to experience buckling failure modes. |
Optional |
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Equipment |
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One of the following values to describe the level of equipment bracing in the building at this location:
Anchoring mechanical and electrical equipment to the floor or bracing them against structural elements can resist damage. Vibration isolators (springs) are not as effective. In addition, piping should be braced to restrain the movement. |
Optional |
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Seal Of Approval |
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One of the following values to describe the level of professional engineering attention given to the design of the structure of the building at this location The following list describes each value (in bold):
This field is only applicable if you specify a year built for the building at this location. |
Optional |
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Extra Data |
PAL |
This field does not affect losses. Extra data to describe the building at this location |
Optional |
[NULL] |
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IS Value Type |
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One of the following values to describe the type of measure of the total seismic performance of the building at this location:
This measure accounts for all the characteristics that affect the response of a building to an earthquake. The value is based on seismic performance evaluation guidelines. If you use this modifier, Touchstone disables all other modifiers. |
Optional |
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Lattice Type |
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One of the following values to describe the type of web for H-shaped steel in the building at this location:
The characteristic influences the ductility of a structure. |
Optional |
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Multi Story Hall Type |
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One of the following values to indicate whether there is a multi-story hall in the building at this location:
Multi-story halls cause the unequal distribution of external forces among floors and columns. This causes stress to concentrate in some of the components, which makes buildings more vulnerable to earthquake damage. |
Optional |
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First Floor Height |
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Height (in feet for Japan and for the US, in meters for Europe) of the first floor in the building at this location above the ground surface / grade A value of -999 for this field in your import data represents Unknown/Default. Touchstone supports this field for all residential, commercial, and small industrial buildings. The value in this field overrides the value for the base flood elevation. A raised first floor significantly reduces a building's vulnerability to flood damage. |
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Service Equipment Protection |
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Indicates the level of protection to mechanical, electrical, or plumbing service equipment in the floodable parts of the basement of the building at this location:
Touchstone supports this field for all residential, commercial, and small industrial buildings. Protection can be in the form of the equipment being elevated or in the form of some type of floodproofing. |
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0 |
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Wet Floodproofing |
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One of the following values to indicate the level of wet floodproofing mitigation techniques in the building at this location. Protection can be in the form of the equipment and stock protection. It also accounts for the use of flood openings in the foundation wall.
When importing values for this field, use integer identifiers. For example, import "1" unprotected wet floodproofing. |
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0 |
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FIRM Compliance |
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Indicates compliance of the building with FEMA flood zone requirements in design and construction. The following list describes available values:
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0 |
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Content Vulnerability |
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One of the following values to describe the portion of the contents of the building at this location that have a low vulnerability. The following list describes each value (in bold):
Touchstone supports this field for all residential, commercial, and small industrial buildings. This field enables you to indicate that some of a building's contents are resistant to water damage or have flood protection. |
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Certified Structures (IBHS) |
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Residential single- and multi-family homes (occupancy types 301, 302, and 303) of wood, masonry, concrete, or steel that meet IBHS criteria for load resistance are eligible for gold, silver, or bronze certification, which represents the level of disaster protection or mitigation. In addition, commercial buildings including, but not limited to, hotels, group institutional housing, condominiums, general commercial buildings, retail stores, and wholesale stores (occupancy types 304, 305, 306, 311, 312, 313+) that meet the IBHS fortification standards set forth for commercial buildings are eligible for this feature. One of the following values to indicate whether the building at this location has achieved an Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) FORTIFIED designation:
When importing values for this field, use integer identifiers. For example, import "1" for "Fortified Home (IBHS) Bronze Option 1". When importing values for this field, use integer identifiers. For example, import "1" for "Fortified Home (IBHS) Bronze Option 1". |
Optional This feature works only for AIR occupancy codes 301, 302, 303, and 306 when used in combination with AIR construction codes 101-14, 111-119, and 131-137. |
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Is Fire Sprinkler Available |
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One of the following values to indicate whether this location contains one or more fire sprinklers:
When importing values for this field, use integer identifiers. For example, import "1" for "Yes". Note:
We hav retired non-catastrophe loss analyses in Touchstone 9.0. Therefore, these fields do not affect losses. |
Optional |
Unknown |