Roofs Built To Resist Earthquakes

Earthquake damage caused by the building having no structural framing where the upper floors and roof are simply built on to masonry walls.

Roofs built to resist earthquakes.

Create a flexible foundation. 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. One way to resist ground forces is to lift the building s foundation above the earth. The roof of an earthquake resistant building must be as light as possible too.

When designing earthquake safe structures the first consideration is to make the highest bit the roof as light as possible. Since earthquakes release energy that pushes on a building from one direction the strategy is to have the building push the opposite way. 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.

This is difficult because some sort of framing is vital. Here are some of the methods used to help buildings withstand earthquakes. While no structure can be entirely immune to damage from earthquakes the goal of earthquake resistant construction is to erect structures that fare better during seismic activity than their conventional counterparts. It s also important that the floors and walls of the building are made as lightweight as possible.

Gable roofs are generally more common because they are cheaper to build. This can also have double skin with spacers and insulation. Wind forces on a roof tend to be uplift forces. This can be done with profiled steel cladding together with a layer of added insulation.

A 30 degree roof slope has the best results.