Why Do Buildings Collapse in Earthquakes? Building for Safety in Seismic Areas

Why Do Buildings Collapse in Earthquakes? offers readers a chance to learn from the personal experiences and insights of leading earthquake engineering specialists. The book examines the lessons from disasters over the last 30 years and proposes a path to achieving 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 globe. It utilises empirical evidence to illustrate both the successes of earthquake engineering and disaster preparedness and the failures that may have had tragic consequences.

Readers will discover what makes buildings in earthquake zones vulnerable and what can be done to design, build, and maintain these structures to reduce or eliminate such vulnerabilities. Additionally, the book explores methods to protect building occupants.

Architects, designers, engineers, and building owners or managers—those responsible for the lives and safety of building occupants and visitors—will learn how to provide adequate safety in earthquake-prone areas. The text offers useful and accessible answers to anyone interested in natural disasters generally and those with 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 during 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, factoring in the impact of climate and seismicity on home design.
• A discussion of what occurs during an earthquake, encompassing the types and levels of ground motion, landslides, tsunamis, and sequential effects, as well as how different building types tend to behave in response to these phenomena.
• Guidance for different stakeholders on improving the earthquake safety of their buildings.

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