Roofs Built To Resist Earthquakes

One way to resist ground forces is to lift the building s foundation above the earth.

Roofs built to resist earthquakes.

This can be done with profiled steel cladding together with a layer of added insulation. This can also have double skin with spacers and insulation. Since earthquakes release energy that pushes on a building from one direction the strategy is to have the building push the opposite way. Here are some of the methods used to help buildings withstand earthquakes.

This is difficult because some sort of framing is vital. Earthquake resistant or aseismic structures are designed to protect buildings to some or greater extent from earthquakes. The roof of an earthquake resistant building must be as light as possible too. Wind forces on a roof tend to be uplift forces.

Earthquake damage caused by the building having no structural framing where the upper floors and roof are simply built on to masonry walls. A 30 degree roof slope has the best results. This is best done with profiled steel cladding on light gauge steel zed purlins. Once these walls shake a bit the entire strength is lost and the building will collapse or pancake during an earthquake.

It s also important that the floors and walls of the building are made as lightweight as possible. When designing earthquake safe structures the first consideration is to make the highest bit the roof as light as possible. Gable roofs are generally more common because they are cheaper to build. In south florida all roofs must be built to withstand 146 mph wind forces and by using metal ties strapping and other reinforcement most builders use wood to meet this standard.

It can have a roof slope between 3 and 15 degrees.