From Chile to US: The myth of disaster-proof buildings
Here’s the most direct, in fact the only, way to create guaranteed disaster-proof structures:
- Determine the purpose(s) the structure will serve.
- Identify the hazards that place it at risk.
- Don’t build it.
Short of that, this year’s spate of earthquakes provides a compelling reminder (aside from the fact that Mother Nature is still in charge): There’s no such thing as a structure without vulnerabilities, which makes terms like “earthquake-proof” misleading.
That doesn’t mean we throw our hands up and resign ourselves to a world of pancake collapses. It does mean understanding just what degree of structural resilience we can create, what it costs and what other ways there are to mitigate against whatever hazards concern us.
See From Chile to US: The myth of disaster-proof buildings, by Jeff Rubin, Ph.D., CEM for Homeland1.
Tags: building codes, Chile, earthquake, natural disaster
