Memo

To:

Professor Karen Thompson

From:

Hamad Alkhaldi

Date:

December 3, 2016

Subject:

PROJECT 2 TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

This memo presents my planning process in order to complete the deliverables for Project 2.
Basically, Project 2 requires a project-oriented technical documentation with an extended
technical definition and a technical description of a process. For this project, the project that
I decide to work on is the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings.
The following sections of this memo shall describe my chosen audience, purpose, strategy
for extending my definition, and the organizing pattern in the technical description.
AUDIENCE
The chosen audience for this project are real estate businessmen, land owners or investors
planning to invest in earthquake-resistant buildings for industrial, commercial and residential
use.
PURPOSE
The purpose of having a technical definition and description of the construction of
earthquake-resistant buildings is to make the audience understand the basic premise of this
type of building, how it compares to traditional buildings, why is it special and how it is built.
The audience are basically individuals who will be planning to invest money in construction
which is why it is important for them to understand what they are investing their money into.
EXTENDED TECHNICAL DEFINITION
The extended technical definition aims to introduce the concept of earthquake-resistant
buildings. The idea is to feature the main attributes of an earthquake-resistant building which
makes it different from traditional buildings. A short overview on the cost and benefits of
constructing an earthquake-resistant building is
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ORGANIZING PATTERN
The technical description shall focus on the construction of the earthquake-resistant building,
the factors to be considered and the steps to be followed. Since there is a whole lot of
concept covering building design, the description is limited to an overview of the basic steps
and considerations made.

EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT
BUILDINGS
Earthquake-resistant buildings are designed to be able to withstand earthquakes. Although
no structure is totally immune to earthquakes, the premise of earthquake resistance is to
ensure that structures do not easily get damaged during earthquakes to reduce damage to
lives and property.
FEATURES OF EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS

Improved Strength
Earthquakes emit large amounts of
energy which will threaten the
structural credibility of a structure.
In order to address this,
earthquake-resistant buildings must
be strong enough to withstand the
energy from the earthquake.
It can be done by having strong
columns and weak beams. Think of
columns as legs and beams as the
body of a man and youll
understand why.

Figure 1. Column and Beam Design

Strength can also be improved through the use of cross-bracing. You do this by
reinforcing your walls with beams usually formed in X-shape (Figure 2). That way,
your walls are not just supported vertically and horizontally but also diagonally.

Base Isolation
Base isolation is a very common concept in
earthquake-resistant buildings. Earthquakes
come from the ground so if the base of a building
is fixed and connected to the whole structure, if
the ground shakes, the whole building shakes.
When the base is isolated, it is the only one which
shakes with the ground thus lessening the impact
on the whole structure. Just imagine being
strapped in a raging bull as if you are one whole
unit. You might want to hold off on your lunch.
Figure 2. Earthquake Resistant Building

Less Vibration
Earthquakes basically cause the components of your building to vibrate which
eventually causes them to break or get damaged. In order to make buildings more
resistant to earthquakes, they should be designed in a way so as to minimize
vibrations. This can be done by having shear walls or installing dampers. Shear walls
are walls reinforced with steel bars (Figure 2). On the other hand, dampers are
devices mounted in buildings so that the impact of the mechanical vibrations from
earthquakes are reduced.

Ductile Materials
Although the structural changes stated above already have a huge impact on the
ability of a building to sustain earthquakes, the material of construction greatly
matters. Earthquake-resistant buildings generally utilize ductile materials. Ductility is
the ability of a material to absorb energy without breaking. A good example of
nonductile materials would be brick and concrete which would be dangerous
especially during earthquakes. In the former attributes, steel is generally reinforced
in walls not just for structural purpose but also because steel is a ductile material.
Future Possibilities
With new technologies coming in, future earthquake-resistant buildings may
incorporate computer-controlled weights mounted on top to reduce the movement of
the building or making the buildings invisible to the mechanical waves through the
use of plastic rings installed beneath the building foundation.

BENEFITS AND COST OF EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS

Earthquakes are natural phenomena which means they can be predicted but they cannot be
avoided. Constructing a building resistant to earthquakes can reduce the risk of property
damage as well as reduce if not eliminate the number of casualty during earthquakes. New
buildings only cost 5-10% more than traditional buildings. That is a fairly small price to pay
compared to the risks of traditional buildings.
It is also important to remember that retrofitting traditional buildings into an earthquakeresistant one is more costly. It is therefore a better option to construct an innovative building
now than pay the price later.
Visual Sources:
Figure 1: https://www.quora.com/How-do-earthquake-resistant-buildings-work
Figure 2: http://onlinecivilforum.com/site/index.php/2016/09/14/earthquake-resistentbuilding-construction

DESIGNING EARTHQUAKERESISTANT BUILDINGS

HOW TO DESIGN EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS?
Earthquake-resistant buildings have various features which allow it to sustain earthquakes.
However, installing all possible features may not be very practical. This is why certain steps
must be followed and certain factors must be considered when it comes to designing
earthquake-resistant buildings.
STEP 1: Evaluate the Seismic Activity
Before any construction project can begin, engineers must evaluate the seismic activity of a
specific location. Seismic activity is the amount of ground movements a location will likely
experience. For example, seismic activity is high in areas located near faults because that is
where two different tectonic plates meet. It is not advisable for buildings to be built near
faults.

Figure 1. Hazard Map of US (2008)

Therefore, if a building is to be constructed in areas with high seismic activity, rigorous

designing must be employed. Evaluating the seismic activity of the location also avoids
overdesigning. It would be impractical to make a building earthquake-proof if its located in
a place with little or no seismic activity at all.
STEP 2: Evaluate Building Importance

Another important aspect that engineers consider when it comes to designing buildings is
their importance. It is important to ask the questions such how vital they are. Who will be
affected if they are destroyed? How much damage will it cost?
For example, hospitals and water supply facilities would be considered very important.
Therefore, design considerations should be thorough. Another good example with be nuclear
power plants. When Japan experienced an earthquake years ago, their power plant was
destroyed and nuclear matter leaked due to the damage in the structure of the core reactor.
Houses, hostels, and entertainment facilities would be considered as ordinary buildings since
the city can function without them during earthquake emergencies.
Evaluating the importance of a building once again helps developers and engineers avoid
overdesign. Overdesigning leads to higher cost and unnecessary features which probably
wont be benefitted from.
STEP 3: Evaluate the Soil
Unless you plan to make your building float, the soil where you plan to place your building
must be evaluated. In fact, soil quality is very important because no matter how good your
design is, if your soil is no good, the whole structure will still go down.
There
1.
2.
3.

are three main soil types:

Firm This type of soil can bear more than 10 t/m2.
Soft This type of soil can bear less than 10 t/m2.
Weak This type of soil will lose strength during earthquakes.

Generally, weak soil is not suitable for building construction. However, if necessary, it can be
done by utilizing concrete footings to stabilize the structure during earthquakes. Evaluating
the soil helps engineers identify what design of the foundation will be used for the building.
Furthermore, locations with weak soils can be avoided to avoid the use of complex designs
and ensure stability.
STEP 4: DESIGN
Once the three main considerations are done, engineers can now design the building based
on its importance, location and soil quality. Civil engineers also consider the purpose of the
building, owner preference and cost. Generally, for a building to be earthquake-resistant, it
must be symmetrical so that forces are equally distributed. For example, a four-support chair
is more stable than a three-support chair because the former is symmetrical. Of course,
engineers also consider building standards such as fire and safety.
Visual Sources:
Figure 1: US Geological Survey