subject: Key Elements Of Earthquake Resistant Buildings [print this page] What is it that the modern buildings being built in India have in common? Whether it is the residential project or the commercial or any other project of real-estate which involves construction, the common element which exists in all of these modern day building is of the earthquake resistance. Most of India lies in the earthquake prone areas which are susceptible to damage and therefore, the construction activity in these areas shall take into account all those measures which make it seismic proof. Since there is a need for developing the real estate projects all over the country to meet the needs of the people for work, living and amusement, incorporation of these measures has been mandatory by the government. Projects such as Piyush Heights Faridabad are seismic proof and certain principles and practices enable safe living of people in multistorey apartments.
What are these principles which are followed by all developers in their projects such as that of Piyush Heights? Let us first examine the different categories into which these principles fall:
1. Planning and the layout of the building: How many storeys are to be built? How are the doors and windows arranged? How deep shall be the foundation of the building and how shall it be built? All these questions are answered by the planning and the layout design of the project and its elements.
2. Design and layout of the general structural framing: This relates the matters pertaining to the steel and concrete fabrication of the entire building. Special attention is paid to the lateral resistance.
3. Certain key and important sections of the building might require special reinforcements. This part shall also be kept in mind while planning for the structural framework.
After having listed the different categories into which the principles of earthquake resistance fall, let us examine some of the main tenets or principles of the design and construction for these structures:
1. Aim shall be to create robust and extremely tough structures which are not brittle and not prone to sudden collapse. These shall be strong enough to take on the impact of the earthquake of a particular magnitude or be able to deflect the same
2. There shall be evenness in providing the shear walls and bracing walls. The evenness shall be from top to bottom and also from side-to-side.
3. All the elements of the buildings such as the walls and the roofs shall be tied together. This would help in transferring the forces from element to the other and reducing the magnitude of impact. By tying these together, we can prevent the collapse of building because the building acts as a single unit when it shakes.
4. Foundation holds a lot of importance. There shall be a good solid foundation connected to the earth. There shall not be any wet or soft soil underneath and if these can not be avoided then special reinforcements need to be provided. Further, the foundation needs to be tied together and also with the walls.
