Why do buildings collapse in earthquakes? Building for safety in seismic areas

by Spence, Robin; So, Emily

• ISBN13: 9781119619420
• ISBN10: 1119619424
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2021-08-09
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

WHY DO BUILDINGS COLLAPSE IN EARTHQUAKES?

Learn from the personal experience and insights of leading earthquake engineering specialists as they examine the lessons from disasters of the last 30 years and propose a path to earthquake safety worldwide

Why Do Buildings Collapse in Earthquakes?: Building for Safety in Seismic Areas delivers an insightful and comprehensive analysis of the key lessons taught by building failures during earthquakes around the world. The book uses empirical evidence to describe the successes of earthquake engineering and disaster preparedness, as well as the failures that may have had tragic consequences.

Readers will learn what makes buildings in earthquake zones vulnerable, what can be done to design, build and maintain those buildings to reduce or eliminate that vulnerability, and what can be done to protect building occupants. Those who are responsible for the lives and safety of building occupants and visitors—architects, designers, engineers, and building owners or managers—will learn how to provide adequate safety in earthquake zones. The text offers useful and accessible answers to anyone interested in natural disasters generally and those who have specific concerns about the impact of earthquakes on the built environment.

Readers will benefit from the inclusion of:

• A thorough introduction to how buildings have behaved in earthquakes, including a description of the world’s most lethal earthquakes and the fatality trend over time
• An exploration of how buildings are constructed around the world, including considerations of the impact of climate and seismicity on home design
• A discussion of what happens during an earthquake, including the types and levels of ground motion, landslides, tsunamis, and sequential effects, and how different types of buildings tend to behave in response to those phenomena
• What different stakeholders can do to improve the earthquake safety of their buildings

The owners and managers of buildings in earthquake zones and those responsible for the safety of people who occupy or visit them will find Why Do Buildings Collapse in Earthquakes? Building for Safety in Seismic Areas essential reading, as will all architects, designers and engineers who design or refurbish buildings in earthquake zones.

Author Biography

Robin Spence is a Structural Engineer, Professor Emeritus of Architectural Engineering at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of Magdalene College and a Director of Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd. He was President of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (2002-2006), Mallet-Milne Lecturer at the Institution of Civil Engineers (2007), and Nicholas Ambraseys Lecturer at the European Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Istanbul, (2014).

Emily So is Reader in Architectural Engineering at the University of Cambridge and a chartered civil engineer. She is Director of the Cambridge University Centre for Risk in the Built Environment, Director of Studies and Fellow in Architecture at Magdalene College and a Director of Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd. She is the 2010 Shah Family Innovation Prize winner, an award given annually by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Introduction: why this book?

1.1 Earthquakes - an underrated hazard

1.2 Earthquakes, buildings, people

1.3 The authors’ experience of earthquake risk assessment

1.4 Aims of this book

1.5 Outline of the book

References

Chapter 2. How do buildings behave in earthquakes?

2.1 Learning from earthquakes

2.2 Significant earthquakes since 2000

2.3 What can we learn from these significant earthquakes?

2.4 Earthquake losses in rich and poor countries

2.5 Are earthquake losses decreasing over time?

References

Chapter 3. How are buildings constructed in earthquake zones?

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Built form, climate and earthquake resistance

3.3 Building construction types by earthquake zone

Box 3.1 Profile: Randolph Langenbach

3.4 Summary

References

Chapter 4. What happens in an earthquake?

4.1 What is an earthquake?

4.2 Volcanic earthquakes and Induced seismicity

4.3 How earthquakes travel through different media

4.4 Secondary Hazards

Box 4.1 Profile: Toshitaka Katada

4.5 Compound threats

References

Chapter 5. How do different forms of construction behave in earthquakes?

5.1 Introduction: range and classification of building construction types

5.2  Masonry construction

Box 5.1 Profile: Laurie Baker

5.3 Reinforced concrete construction

5.4 Timber frame construction

5.5 Steel frame construction

5.6 Comparing the vulnerability of different construction types

References

Chapter 6 How is the population affected?

6.1 Causes of earthquake casualties

6.2 Casualties due to building collapses

6.3 Survivability of an occupant in a building

6.4 Other causes of casualties

6.5 How can we estimate the number of injured and killed in an earthquake?

6.6 Estimating fatalities due to building collapses

6.7 Estimating casualties from secondary hazards and cascading effects

6.8 The way forward

References

Chapter 7. How can buildings be improved?

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Design of engineered buildings

7.3 Strengthening existing buildings

7.4 Building for safety programmes

Box 7.1 Profile: Amod Dixit

Box 7.2 Profile: Rajendra and Rupal Desai

7.5 Public awareness of earthquake risk: creating a safety culture

References

Chapter 8. Successes and failures in earthquake protection: a country comparison

8.1 Introduction: the survey

8.2 High achievers

8.3 Limited achievers

8.4 Continuing and growing risks

8.5 Country comparison of unsafe structures

8.6 Comparison of the country groups

Acknowledgements

References

Chapter 9. The way forward: what part can different actors play?

9.1 International agencies and global initiatives

9.2 Governments

9.3 Businesses and organisations

9.4 Homeowners and individual citizens

Box 9.1. Profile: Tracy Monk

9.5 Scientists and Engineers

Box 9.2 Profile: Edward Ng

Box 9.3  Profile: Lucy Jones

9.6 Non-government organisations

9.7 Insurers

9.8 The way forward

References