Turkey, as a country located in the earthquake zone, the first principle to be taken into account in construction planning should not be popularity, aesthetic appearance, etc., it should be “earthquake resistance”. Since earthquake-resistant buildings will survive the effects they receive from the outside even after many years, they will create safe living spaces that take firm steps in both sustainability and urban planning. So, what types of earthquakes are there in Turkey?
Firstly, in the earthquake regulation in our country, earthquakes are divided into 3:
Earthquake of mild intensity
Moderate earthquake
Severe earthquake
Based on these three types of earthquakes, a main principle has been determined in earthquake-resistant design:
Earthquake-resistant design structures and systems are in aim to avoid damage to structures and systems and minimize harm from mild to severe earthquakes to moderate earthquakes, in severe earthquakes, structures and systems can take permanent damage to be repaired, but it is to prevent casualties.
While earthquake-resistant designs are being made, engineers should design the structure according to the severe earthquake. In case of severe earthquakes, the structure and its systems should be ensured to stand until the time when the users inside will come out and evacuate the structure. As a result of a severe earthquake, the structure may receive significant damage, but it should not collapse and cause loss of life.
The design of earthquake-resistant structures carried out for the above purposes is called “Seismic design”. With the meaning of the word ”seismic", means an earthquake. Seismic design is the design applied to a structure to meet the shocks that may come from any direction without causing loss of life.
It should be underlined that every building can be designed to be earthquake resistant. This applies to all structures, from a one-storey residential building to a residence, from a school to a hospital. When the designs are carried out according to the type of structure and the earthquake regulations in the region where the structure is located, the structure will be designed to withstand severe earthquakes from the beginning of the design. If you do not think that your building is resistant to earthquakes, you can contact the authorities and have structural analyses of your building carried out, and according to the results of this analysis, you can carry out the necessary building reinforcement works. Building reinforcement operations are decided according to the regulations applicable in the area where the building is located. If reinforcement is required in the structure, concrete-iron additions are made to the columns, beams, floors, or foundations according to the regulations, to make the structure stronger than before. If the structure is in a condition that cannot be strengthened, it should be demolished within the scope of Urban Transformation and rebuilt by the earthquake regulations.
The presence of our country in the earthquake zone causes people to prefer houses that will protect their life security in their home choices. The primary criterion that future architects and engineers should not forget at the design stages should not be how aesthetically pleasing a structure looks from the outside or how close its location is to which points. The priority in a design is the safety and comfort of the user. Before starting the design, architects, and engineers must make sure that the structure complies with all technical rules, within the framework of the rules established by the regulations. Aesthetic designs to be added to the structure should be added at the last stage.
Things to Be Considered in Earthquake-Resistant Designs
What are the earthquake regulations and rules at the location of the building?
What are the ground characteristics of the structure?
What are the material properties to be used in the structure?
What are the possible external influences that may come to the structure from outside?
What are the precautions taken against external factors that may come from outside the structure?
Tips in Design
Basement
In the basement floors, which have the most contact with the ground in the structures, attention should be paid to the insulation systems. The waterproofing system of the structure should not damage the foundation of the structure. In weather conditions such as rain, hail, snow, or flood, water should not pass to the foundation of the building. The insulations in the building foundation should not be damaged by the water retained in the ground.
Column-Beam-Foundation
The main skeleton that sustains a structure consists of column-beam-foundations. At the very beginning of the design, a foundation system should be selected that can meet the forces that will affect the structure during an earthquake. How and how these carrier system elements will be made is explained in detail in the earthquake regulations of the area. Architects and engineers should study this regulation in detail before starting to design the structure.
Walls
Considering how much the load-bearing system of the structure consists of beams and columns, there may be elements on the walls that help this load-bearing system. For example, let's consider the demolition of the walls located on the ground floor to create a commercial space. Since the collapsed walls here can no longer carry the load on them, more load will be placed on the ground floor columns. Depending on the quality of the selected material, this load may reach dimensions that the structure cannot bear in a bad scenario. For this reason, the carrier system should be arranged at the design stage, taking into account the possibility that the ground floor may be used as a commercial space in the future.
As Riva Interior Architecture, we convey our wishes to our citizens in Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, and other provinces affected by the earthquake. As Turkey, we wish God's mercy for every citizens we have lost, strength and patience for their relatives, recovery as soon as possible for our citizens who survived the disaster, and for all our citizens in the earthquake zone to reach safe points as soon as possible.