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Isn't it generally expected that skyscrapers will be pretty well-engineered? Are there any examples of skyscrapers being significantly damaged by an earthquake?
by stellar678 16y ago
Isn't it generally expected that skyscrapers will be pretty well-engineered? Are there any examples of skyscrapers being significantly damaged by an earthquake?
- icarus_drowning 16y agoWell, sure. But we don't usually get dramatic video illustrating just how well engineered they are. I tried to think of an incident where a skyscraper was significantly damaged in an earthquake, but I couldn't off the top of my head. All I remember was how well Taipei 101 stood up to the earthquake that occurred while it was being built[1]. 1: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Taipei_101#Structural_Design https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Taipei_101#St...
- CountSessine 16y agoThere's this...it wasn't an earthquake but it does represent the other end of the spectrum for building codes for large buildings. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5685963/Nine-held-over-Shanghai-building-collapse.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5685963...
- gojomo 16y agoYes, but 8.0+ quakes near major cities are rare enough that there's limited experience to draw from. There hasn't been anything over 7.3 affecting the lower-48 United States in over a hundred years; nothing over 7.9 in over 300 years. (There was a ~9 in the pacific northwest in 1700.) Japan's building standards are said to be the best in the world. An 8.0+ near a US city could include some nasty surprises for buildings of all types.
- mkramlich 16y agoThat comment is just begging for the C. K. Louis routine to be cited. ;)
- trafficlight 16y agoIt's Louis C.K. His last name is Szekely. I'm not sure where the C.K. comes from.