I think many architects, engineers and builders spend a fair amount of time cursing our building codes. We all have too many stories about the beautiful design element lessened because of a code requirement. Or the client with a vague understanding of codes who makes demonstrative statements like "that's against code," when in fact, what you are proposing falls within what is accepted by the relevant building codes. You then spend inordinate amounts of time proving you are right and they are wrong, but typically lose the battle anyway!
We are all watching the events in Japan unfold with a mix of awe and horror. The destruction wrought by the most powerful earthquake I can remember and the ensuing tsunami is unimaginable to me, especially when the two events came in tandem like a one-two punch in a heavyweight bout. My closest comparison, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, do not come close to what we are seeing in Japan.
We have found some articles that indicate the destruction and loss of life could have been much worse than what it is but for Japan's strict building codes and overall event preparedness. By all accounts, Japan is the one country in the world best prepared for these events. It all began with the devastation of the Kobe earthquake in 1995. The Japanese government funneled billions of dollars into research and preparation to help prepare the country, her people and her structures for this event. Here are a couple of articles for you to read:
However, are we doing enough? Many who work under the recent versions of the International Building Code recognize that much of the United States now falls in some manner of seismic zone, but is it enough? Anecdotally, we have known about the New Madrid Fault near Memphis, TN for some time and the 1812 earthquake that supposedly reversed the flow of the Mississippi River temporarily. In February 2011, almost 200 years later, we are seeing an increase in seismic activity along that fault:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110217/ap_on_re_us/us_arkansas_earthquakes
I have spent a bit of time in San Francisco and have a vague understanding of the seismic preparedness required of structures built in one of our country's most active seismic zones. But are we doing enough in the lessor known or less active seismic zones? The video footage I have seen of the tsunami leaves me wondering what we would do here? Most Japanese tried to reach higher ground because the mandatory tsunami drills instituted by their government taught them what to do. What would happen in our Mid-Atlantic region if a similar event occured?
