When earthquakes occur, it is the older buildings that often collapse first because they are not engineered to resist powerful earthquake forces. Those newer buildings, however, that look structurally sound often sustain non-structural damage that, despite appearances, can become unusable. This is what happened last week in Christchurch, resulting in many buildings that can no longer be occupied.
Last week our firm sent in an investigative team of structural engineers to assess the damage to Christchurch. As engineers, what we found was quite shocking but not unexpected: 30-50% of buildings constructed of unreinforced masonry (URM) sustained severe damage or collapsed. By comparison, the total damage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as a result of last year’s earthquake was less from a percentage standpoint than what was experienced in downtown Christchurch last week. Several older non-ductile concrete buildings (existing structures that fail in a brittle manner under the load of an earthquake) have also been severely damaged or collapsed.
These findings provide proof that countries and cities that do not have mandatory retrofit ordinances for hazardous buildings are exposed to tremendous risk – not only in New Zealand, but everywhere else in the world.
Our team also observed that many, newer buildings experienced significant non-structural damage, which is dangerous for building inhabitants and greatly impacts functionality and business continuity.
People in cities situated in areas of high earthquake risk may have a false sense of security because they do not fully understand the intent of most building codes and equate code compliance to mean earthquake-proof. In fact, even in advanced earthquake engineering countries such as New Zealand, the US and Japan, most building codes are minimum guidelines for “life safety” only and have often proven to be inadequate for building sustainability, and at times, survivability.
Buildings must be better designed for disasters. Mandatory URM and non-ductile concrete structure retrofit ordinances must be put in place to save lives. And high-performance earthquake engineering must be practiced for sustainability of new buildings so they can support continued functionality of cities after a disaster. This must be done worldwide.
Together with my team, I have spent the past 13 months in Haiti working with the Ministry of Public Works, the United Nations and the Pan American Development Foundation assisting Haitian engineers to assess the damage to 400,000 buildings and repair 2,000 damaged houses as a USAID pilot project. The tragedy has to be experienced to be understood. Hiroshima is one of the great disasters of the twentieth century and has a firm place in our historical imaginations. The bomb killed 200,000 people. Yet, in terms of the loss of human life, Haiti’s earthquake caused even greater loss – over 230,000 lives.
The unfortunate truth is that engineers have predicted major earthquakes in Christchurch and Port-au-Prince for years. Of course, we could not say when but we knew there was a high probability of another earthquake. Little was done by the respective governments or the private sector. How distressing to realize that with proper engineering, much of the loss of life, structural damage and financial loss could have been reduced significantly.
Today, we know enough about constructing seismic-resistant buildings that allow them to withstand large earthquakes, protect their inhabitants and allow businesses to continue functioning. That said, today’s earthquake damage repair technology has also advanced so that in the next 24 months 100,000 homes in Haiti can be repaired with local materials and masons so that they are safer than before and can be reoccupied by their inhabitants, allowing them to leave the terrible conditions in the tent cities.
Preparing for disasters is not difficult. Responsible governments, the private sector and residents must act on the knowledge that these events can be anticipated and preparations must be made for their eventual occurrence, thereby saving lives and minimizing damage.
Dr. Miyamoto is President and CEO of Miyamoto International, a global earthquake and structural engineering firm.
Related Stories
| Feb 11, 2011
Four Products That Stand Up to Hurricanes
What do a panelized wall system, a newly developed roof hatch, spray polyurethane foam, and a custom-made curtain wall have in common? They’ve been extensively researched and tested for their ability to take abuse from the likes of Hurricane Katrina.
| Feb 11, 2011
RS Means Cost Comparison Chart: Office Buildings
This month's RS Means Cost Comparison Chart focuses on office building construction.
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable features on the bill for dual-building performing arts center at Soka University of America
The $73 million Soka University of America’s new performing arts center and academic complex recently opened on the school’s Aliso Viejo, Calif., campus. McCarthy Building Companies and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects collaborated on the two-building project. One is a three-story, 47,836-sf facility with a grand reception lobby, a 1,200-seat auditorium, and supports spaces. The other is a four-story, 48,974-sf facility with 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, a 150-seat black box theater, rehearsal/dance studio, and support spaces. The project, which has a green roof, solar panels, operable windows, and sun-shading devices, is going for LEED Silver.
| Feb 11, 2011
BIM-enabled Texas church complex can broadcast services in high-def
After two years of design and construction, members of the Gateway Church in Southland, Texas, were able to attend services in their new 4,000-seat facility in late 2010. Located on a 180-acre site, the 205,000-sf complex has six auditoriums, including a massive 200,000-sf Worship Center, complete with catwalks, top-end audio and video system, and high-definition broadcast capabilities. BIM played a significant role in the building’s design and construction. Balfour Beatty Construction and Beck Architecture formed the nucleus of the Building Team.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Former Richardson Romanesque hotel now houses books, not beds
The Piqua (Ohio) Public Library was once a late 19th-century hotel that sat vacant and deteriorating for years before a $12.3 million adaptive reuse project revitalized the 1891 building. The design team of PSA-Dewberry, MKC Associates, and historic preservation specialist Jeff Wray Associates collaborated on the restoration of the 80,000-sf Richardson Romanesque building, once known as the Fort Piqua Hotel. The team restored a mezzanine above the lobby and repaired historic windows, skylight, massive fireplace, and other historic details. The basement, with its low ceiling and stacked stone walls, was turned into a castle-like children’s center. The Piqua Historical Museum is also located within the building.
| Feb 11, 2011
Justice center on Fall River harbor serves up daylight, sustainable elements, including eucalyptus millwork
Located on historic South Main Street in Fall River, Mass., the Fall River Justice Center opened last fall to serve as the city’s Superior and District Courts building. The $85 million facility was designed by Boston-based Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc., with Dimeo Construction as CM and Arup as MEP. The 154,000-sf courthouse contains nine courtrooms, a law library, and a detention area. Most of the floors have the same ceiling height, which will makes them easier to reconfigure in the future as space needs change. Designed to achieve LEED Silver, the facility’s elliptical design offers abundant natural daylight and views of the harbor. Renewable eucalyptus millwork is one of the sustainable features.
| Feb 11, 2011
Research facility separates but also connects lab spaces
California State University, Northridge, consolidated its graduate and undergraduate biology and mathematics programs into one 90,000-sf research facility. Architect of record Cannon Design worked on the new Chaparral Hall, creating a four-story facility with two distinct spaces that separate research and teaching areas; these are linked by faculty offices to create collaborative spaces. The building houses wet research, teaching, and computational research labs, a 5,000-sf vivarium, classrooms, and administrative offices. A four-story outdoor lobby and plaza and an outdoor staircase provide orientation. A covered walkway links the new facility with the existing science complex. Saiful/Bouquet served as structural engineer, Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers served as MEP, and Research Facilities Design was laboratory consultant.
| Feb 11, 2011
A feast of dining options at University of Colorado community center, but hold the buffalo stew
The University of Colorado, Boulder, cooked up something different with its new $84.4 million Center for Community building, whose 900-seat foodservice area consists of 12 micro-restaurants, each with its own food options and décor. Centerbrook Architects of Connecticut collaborated with Denver’s Davis Partnership Architects and foodservice designer Baker Group of Grand Rapids, Mich., on the 323,000-sf facility, which also includes space for a career center, international education, and counseling and psychological services. Exterior walls of rough-hewn, variegated sandstone and a terra cotta roof help the new facility blend with existing campus buildings. Target: LEED Gold.
| Feb 11, 2011
Chicago high-rise mixes condos with classrooms for Art Institute students
The Legacy at Millennium Park is a 72-story, mixed-use complex that rises high above Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. The glass tower, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, is mostly residential, but also includes 41,000 sf of classroom space for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and another 7,400 sf of retail space. The building’s 355 one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums range from 875 sf to 9,300 sf, and there are seven levels of parking. Sky patios on the 15th, 42nd, and 60th floors give owners outdoor access and views of Lake Michigan.
