I have relocated from the Loss Prevention Council to BRE. In future, could you please send all emails to my BRE email address - [log in to unmask] The email that you have sent has been automatically forwarded to my BRE email account.
>>> natural-hazards-disasters 06/08/00 07:43 >>>
On Wed, 7 Jun 2000, James Lewis wrote:
+++++ [CLIP] +++++
> As an architect, I am accustomed to buildings being designed to comply with
> requirements for means of escape in case of fire. What strikes me is the
> dearth of information on means of escape in case of earthquake, and the
> apparent absence of information on the design of buildings (all kinds of
> buildings) for escape in case of earthquake. Could make an interesting and
> useful research project ?
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I suspect this applies to construction/structural requirements also in
regions considered to be of "low risk", i.e. which haven't had major
earthquakes (or that matter other natural catastrophic events, such as
tsunamis) in relatively recent times, e.g. the last century or so.
However, there's growing evidence that even in apparently very low risk
and stable areas considering things in terms of much longer time scales
can turn up change the perspective markedly.
Taking London as an example, should planning requirements and building
design at the half millennium risk scale be allowing for earthquakes in
the 7.0 Richter range or higher? On a longer risk scale, the present
Thames Flood Barrier would be of little or no use against the 5 - 10
metre tsunami risk at the perhaps five millennium scale emerging from the
growing evidence of the impact of the 2nd Storegga event throughout most
of the North Sea basin.
Patrick J. Boylan
City University, London,
Frobisher Crescent, Barbican, London EC2Y 8HB, UK;
phone: +44-20-7477.8750, fax:+44-20-7477.8887;
Home: "The Deepings", Gun Lane, Knebworth, Herts. SG3 6BJ, UK;
phone & fax: +44-1438-812.658;
E-mail: [log in to unmask]; Web site: http://www.city.ac.uk/artspol/
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