Are Indian skyscrapers protected against Earthquake?

February 7, 2007	(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)  Loading ...
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An earthquake is the most extreme condition that any building may be required to survive during its lifetime. To survive the natures might safely and surely also poses the greatest challenge to the architects and structural engineers. However the modern day technological advances in the earthquake protection industry have made the solution once considered un-surmountable a reality.

Today most medium and high-rise buildings in India are following Life-Safety Design, more popularly referred as Earthquake Resistant Design for protection against earthquakes. The earthquake will structurally damage the building and incase the damage is above a threshold level there would be no option but to demolish and re-construct.

The architects and structural consultants are therefore are no longer designing only to meet the government building code requirements but are going by the seismic performance criteria being demanded by their clients. Building codes are applicable to all buildings at large belonging to all strata of society and therefore the socio-economic conditions need to be carefully looked into before formulating them.

The risk assessment exercises by the major insurance companies and financial institutions is another factor encouraging people to reduce risks by going in for the state-of-the-art earthquake protection technologies. The insurance companies world over are refusing to guarantee such losses unless the buildings which house these businesses adhere to enhanced safety standards. The reduced insurance premiums and financing at lower rates of interest more than compensates for the cost of enhanced earthquake protection in the long run.

As the awareness and economic prosperity is increasing, more and more people want to reduce risks. Not to forget the urge of many upwardly mobile to live in high-rise buildings away from the pollution and noise with their balconies overlooking the cityscape giving them a sense of achievement, superiority and contentment after a tiring days work. However many have started to realize the peril of staying in a high-rise, they become more vulnerable to the seismic effects.

Submitted by Saroj

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