Title of Assignment: PVEX#2 Photo-Video: 1990 Luzon Earthquake

BAGUIO CITY
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER MITIGATION – DLSU CE Department

As recorded in Baguio City, ground shaking caused a large number of buildings to collapse or sustain heavy damage. The city of Baguio
suffered major losses to buildings especially hotels. A weak column-strong beam failure caused the pancake collapse of the structures
because the column dimensions are smaller than the beams. Thus, there is a need to conduct risk mitigation measures for every
building in Baguio City.
For structural failures of existing RC buildings
caused by weak column-strong beam conditions,
RC columns need to be strengthened through
concrete jacketing (Figure 1a) or steel
jacketing (Figure 1b) to prevent this type of
failure. Concrete Jacketing consists of adding
concrete with longitudinal and transverse
reinforcement around the existing column which
improves the axial and shear strength of the
column. Steel Jacketing, on the other hand,
includes the addition of steel in the form of
plates and jackets applied around the column.
For new RC structures, Structural Engineers must
provide emphasis on the ductility design of
columns, beams, and walls as per current
seismic codes and standards. Moreover, seismic
detailing must be carefully implemented following Figure 2. Column Transverse
Figure 1a. Concrete Jacketing [1] Figure 1b. Steel Jacketing [2]
NSCP, ACI Provisions, or NEHRP Guides. For Reinforcement Spacing Requirements [3]
example, poor column confinement is a common
cause of structural failure. Thus, there is a need
to adopt detailing requirements such as tie
spacing (Figure 2).
Name: CHRISTIAN PAUL D. SANGUYO Student ID#: 11994991
 Title of Assignment: PVEX#2 Photo-Video: 1990 Luzon Earthquake

CABANATUAN CITY
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER MITIGATION – DLSU CE Department

The earthquake’s epicenter is located near Cabanatuan City. Several infrastructures have been severely damaged. The tallest building in
the city, a six-story concrete school building housing the Christian College of the Philippines, collapsed during the earthquake and killed
around 154 people. This raised a big concern to strengthen the existing structures using advanced retrofitting technologies.
Retrofitting of existing RC structures is commonly
done using the jacketing method. Other
structural solutions include replacing existing
partition walls with high-strength reinforced
concrete shear walls (Figure 3) or introducing
additional steel bracings (Figure 4) at various
locations which are used to improve the lateral
load capacity and stiffness of the structure.
Furthermore, attaching passive or active control
systems such as dampers (e.g. tuned mass
damper, oil dampers) are solutions to allow the
building to move elastically and dissipate the Figure 3. Retrofitting by Providing Figure 4. Retrofitting by Providing
energy of the earthquake (Figure 5). Additional Shear Wall [4] Additional Steel Bracing [5]

For new RC structures, aside from designing and

detailing based on the current seismic codes and
standards, Structural Engineers can provide base
isolation systems (Figure 6) between the
foundation and the superstructure.
Fundamentally, base isolation increases the
natural period of the structure resulting in an
increase in displacement at the isolation level
thereby, reducing the horizontal forces of the Figure 5. Retrofitting by Providing Figure 6. Base Isolation to new
superstructure. Additional Viscous Dampers [6] structures [7]

Name: CHRISTIAN PAUL D. SANGUYO Student ID#: 11994991

 Title of Assignment: PVEX#2 Photo-Video: 1990 Luzon Earthquake

DAGUPAN CITY
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER MITIGATION – DLSU CE Department

In Dagupan City, some structures suffered severe damage due to liquefaction causing several buildings to sink as much as 2 meters.
Moreover, the earthquake caused a decrease in the elevation of the city resulting in several areas being flooded. Based on these
consequences, there is a need to apply several mitigation actions.

Since most damages are soil-related

failures particularly liquefaction and lateral
spreading, it is high suggested to conduct
ground improvement techniques such as
dynamic compaction (Figure 7),
aggregate columns (Figure 8), vibro-
compaction (Figure 9) to avoid future
damages to structures due to weak soil
behavior.
If soil improvement techniques are not
applicable, the type of foundation must be Figure 7. Dynamic Compaction [6] Figure 8. Aggregate Columns [7][8]
changed from a shallow type to a deep
foundation type such as pile footing to
anchor the structure into a firmer and
stiffer soil layer such as rock. Different
types of piles (Figure 10) based on their
construction method such as bored and
driven piles can be undertaken. Figure 9. Vibro-
Compaction [9]

Figure 10. Bored and Driven Piles [10]

Name: CHRISTIAN PAUL D. SANGUYO Student ID#: 11994991