The earthquakes that have occurred in the world in recent years have once again revealed how important earthquake resistant structures are. The effects of a devastating natural disaster such as an earthquake can only be minimized if appropriate precautions are taken. For this reason, many buildings in the world have been made resistant to earthquakes by using excellent engineering techniques. Some structures survive even very strong tremors, such as magnitude 8 earthquakes, unscathed. Some of the best earthquake-resistant structures in the world, including Turkey, and their reasons for being durable;
The Structure to Enter in an Earthquake, Mori Tower
Japan is one of the first countries that comes to mind when it comes to earthquake belts and is located in a seismically active region. For this reason, many buildings in Japan are designed to be earthquake resistant. Mori Tower is among these structures. According to the information on its official website, it is not a structure to escape from during an earthquake, but is designed to be entered into.
In this structure, damper engineering is used to increase seismic resistance. A total of 192 liquid-filled shock absorbers are used. They are shaken upside down in order to resist the shaking experienced during an earthquake. This feature creates a very safe structure during an earthquake and is one of the most effective methods used. For this reason, Mori Tower is considered one of the best earthquake-resistant structures in the world.
Los Angeles’ Tallest Building, New Wilshire Grand Center
Southern California is located in an earthquake-prone area. For this reason, seismic arrangements have been made in the buildings in the region. As part of these regulations, the New Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building in Los Angeles, was strengthened in line with the new guidelines. This building, which was previously discussed that an earthquake could create a whiplash effect on its upper floors, now has a very solid appearance.
A total of 30 buttresses are used in three parts of the building. In this way, the resistance of the building against vertical and lateral forces has been increased. Additional retaining braces are used in each unit to further support these struts. These special belts are designed to be both stretchable and compressible. The New Wilshire Grand Center is located in Los Angeles as one of the safest buildings in the USA.
Japanese Textile Company Komatsu Seiren
Komatsu Seiren, a Japanese textile company, has built an earthquake-resistant structure using high-tensile lines made of carbon fiber. These lines were connected to the roof of the facility and increased the resistance of the facility against horizontal forces. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and his team, the facility was not built using traditional methods like other buildings located in earthquake-prone areas. Instead, a more modern and innovative approach has been adopted. Komatsu Seiren not only built a strong structure, but also draws attention with its design.
Turkey Sabiha Gokcen Airport
Sabiha Gökçen Airport is a structure built to withstand the earthquake risk of Istanbul. The nearly two million square foot complex is built on more than 300 seismic isolators. Thanks to these seismic isolators, the building acts as a single whole during an earthquake, minimizing the damage level. Considering Istanbul’s high earthquake risk, the earthquake-resistant design of Sabiha Gökçen Airport is an important factor for the region. This design reduces the intensity of a possible earthquake by 80 percent.
World’s Largest Mass Absorber, Taipei 101
Located in Taiwan, the Taipei 101 is a mind-blowing structure with the world’s largest tuned mass damper (TMD). This system is designed to reduce the shaking of the high tower from large temporary loads such as wind and earthquakes and is shaped like a giant metal ball. When large forces act on the tower, the TMD swings in the opposite direction, absorbing the temporary forces thanks to the mass of the ball, allowing the entire building to stabilize.
The World’s Largest Domed Arena
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippine Arena is the largest domed arena in the world. Since it has active earthquake fault lines, a structure resistant to earthquake risk had to be built. Therefore, thanks to the earthquake system used in the arena, the superstructure remains stationary while the underlying system moves.
The earthquake system is provided by forming the gap separating the main structure and the foundation system with rubber, which has a high energy dissipation feature. In this way, during an earthquake, the foundation system moves and absorbs high energy, while the superstructure remains stable, minimizing damage to the building. The earthquake system of the Philippine Arena plays an important role in ensuring the safety of the building.
San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid
Located in San Francisco, California, the Transamerica Pyramid is an iconic structure built in the 1970s. It is located right next to the San Andreas and Hayward fault lines in San Francisco. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1989 shook the upper floors of the multi-storey building by almost 30 centimeters, but the building survived the earthquake without any damage.
The foundation for this success is a 52-foot-deep steel and concrete foundation designed to handle seismic loads. Vertical and horizontal loads are supported by inner frames ending at 45th level and a unique truss system above the first floor. These complex structural systems make the building resistant to oscillating movements and enable the absorption of large horizontal base shear forces.
Burj Khalifa in Dubai
Burj Khalifa in Dubai is one of the most durable buildings in the world. The structure consists of mechanical floors, where the buttress walls connect the perimeter columns to the interior walls. In this way, the perimeter columns can support the lateral resistance of the structure and the verticality of the columns helps to carry the gravity loads. Thanks to these structural features, the Burj Khalifa shows superior resistance to both lateral and torsional movements.
