Recent research indicates that the Pacific Northwest is due for an earthquake of historic proportions and the area’s building stock is not expected to fare well.
The Cascadia subduction zone runs from northern California to Vancouver Island. Researchers in recent years have determined that the area has the potential for a more powerful tremor than had been previously believed. There was a similar situation in Japan a few years ago.
“The devastation in Japan in 2011 was the result of a discrepancy between what the best science predicted and what the region was prepared to withstand,” according to a New Yorker article. “The same will hold true in the Pacific Northwest—but here the discrepancy is enormous.”
Seismic codes were weak or non-existent more than 40 years ago. “Until 1974, the state of Oregon had no seismic code, and few places in the Pacific Northwest had one appropriate to a magnitude-9.0 earthquake until 1994,” the article says. “The vast majority of buildings in the region were constructed before then.”
Related Stories
| Jun 28, 2012
Following spate of skyscraper balcony glass panel breakages, Ontario adopts code change
Ontario's housing minister announced new building code rules to help prevent glass panels from breaking off high-rise balconies during hot weather.
| Jun 28, 2012
Factory worker deaths in Italy raise questions on building codes after earthquakes
Italian officials are questioning seismic building standards and inspection procedures in the aftermath of two damaging earthquakes.
| Jun 21, 2012
Brazilian engineering/construction firm Odebrecht sues Florida over ban on companies doing business in Cuba
Odebrecht Construction Inc., a Brazilian engineering and construction company, is suing the State of Florida over a new law that bans governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba.
| Jun 21, 2012
String of shattered glass balcony panels prompts call for code reform in Ontario
Since last summer, glass balconies have shattered at 13 different buildings in Toronto.
| Jun 21, 2012
California adds window film to building code
California is the first state to add window film into its building code. Window film, a polymer material, offers cost-effective energy savings.
| Jun 21, 2012
New ISO standard to improve environmental management of concrete
A new ISO standard will help the construction industry better manage the environmental impacts of concrete.
| Jun 21, 2012
On net-zero projects, Building Teams will be held accountable for energy-efficiency performance
The building team will be held accountable for how net-zero energy buildings perform two, five, and maybe ten years after completion.
| Jun 14, 2012
USGBC co-founder launches rating system for building product manufacturers
U.S. Green Building Council co-founder David Gottfried’s new venture, Regenerative Ventures, has established a rating system for building product manufacturers.
