Rolling with the punches
Earthquakes unleash enormous amounts of energy, which buildings must absorb if they are to remain standing. Flexible, light buildings cope with earthquakes best, because when the ground shakes they have some give. 'They can roll with the punches, and that reduces the forces they must resist,' explains structural engineer Len Joseph.
But as well as a flexible structure, engineers are now giving buildings shock absorbers, which add an extra line of defence against earthquake damage. If they're good enough, flexibility isn't so important, at least during smaller tremors.
| 
Len Joseph, a structural engineer at Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers.
Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers |
|
