A Training

On
Earthquake Resilient Building
Construction Techniques

By: Er. Om Prakash Giri

Lecture (PU)

Organized by
Pokhara University
Site Selection and Building
Configuration
 Site Selection
• The construction site has to be stable and safe
enough to withstand the total building load,
including that of its occupants and their
belongings.
• The building site shall be the safest available
with respect to natural hazards.
• Any existing buildings shall be studied for any
evidence of inherent natural hazards in the
locality.
 Site Selection Contd..
• These hazards include vulnerability to
landslides, erosion etc.
• The local practice used to manage such
hazards, if any, shall be judged against the
required level of acceptable risk.
• Areas with high potential of liquefaction
during earthquake should also be avoided.
 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site
• Geological Fault or Ruptured Areas.
o Geological fault lines or rupture lines that are
usually visible to the naked eye and are
permanent, deep and active should be avoided.
o Buildings should be constructed at least 500 m
away from these lines.
o (Light and flexible structures may be built closer)
Inappropriate Construction Site
 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• Areas Susceptible to Landslide.
o Areas likely experience frequent landslides
shall be avoided for construction of buildings.
o The simplest indication of sustained stability
of a slope is the upright standing of the trees
on it.
o They would be inclined downwards in the
case of unstable slopes.
Land Slide
Inappropriate Construction Site
 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• Boulder Hazard.
o Nepal, being a mountainous country, has many
places where boulders roll down the bare hill
slopes.
o These boulders can hit and damage a building.
o Therefore, buildings shall be constructed in such
areas only after the provision of proper prevention
by retaining walls and green barriers of bamboo
groves is assured.
Inappropriate Construction Site
 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• River Bank
o It is preferable that river banks and areas
susceptible to frequent flooding should be
avoided.
o Constructions on such areas can be undertaken
only after carrying out protection works.
Inappropriate Construction Site

Flooding Problem.
Liquefactionn Problem.
 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• Steep Slope
o Generally, soil slopes up to 20° are stable and
good for construction.
o However, constructions on steeper slopes is not
restricted if these proper retaining walls for the
development.
 Steep Construction Site

Land Slide Problem.

Boulder Fall Problem.

Inappropriate Construction Site

 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• Filled Area
o No building foundations shall rest on
uncompacted filled ground.
o If a building is to be constructed in a filled-ground
site, the foundation shall be deep enough so as to
rest on the firm ground surface beneath the fill.
Filling (Non compacted filled soil)

Inappropriate Building Site

 Factors to be Considered While Selecting
Site Contd….
• Water-Logged Area
o Sites with permanent water-logged areas should
avoided.
o However, constructions is allowable if the site is
appropriately treated.
Water Logged Area

Inappropriate Building Site

Poor Load Bearing Capacity of Soil

Inappropriate Building Site

Bearing Capacity Failure
Liquefaction
 Big Trees Near by Building

Problem
Damage of Building by Root
 Improvement of Construction Site
• Removal of filling/ Top soil.
• Drain out water from construction site.
• Gravel filling & Compaction.
• Constructing retaining wall.
 Site Planning & Orientation
• Maximum intensity of sun light focuses in S &
SW direction during 12 noon - 6 evening.
• So SW is bad orientation for living spaces
during long summer.
• Building form is better to have double row
rooms.
 Site Planning & Orientation Contd..

• Main living spaces & openings locate towards

Sun light i.e. S,SE, SW direction like bed, living,
kitchen, dining, etc.
• locate spaces like stair, bath, store, laundry in
N & NW.
Position of Sun in a Day.
 Building Configuration
• The building as a whole or its various parts
should be kept symmetrical along both the axis.
• Simple square or rectangular designed buildings
have better when subjected to earthquake loads
as compared to those with many projections.
• Separation of large building into separate parts
is a good practice for allowing the parts to be
independent during lateral loading.
• Such separation into parts helps to obtain
symmetry and rectangularity of each part.
 Building Configuration Contd….
• Building should be as simple as possible.
• Ornamentation involving cornices, vertical and
horizontal cantilever projections, fascia stones, etc is
dangerous and undesirable from seismic point of view.
• Where any ornamentation is used, it must be properly
reinforced and anchored.
• Mixed structural system, combining masonry load
bearing system with RCC load bearing system both in
plan and over the building height is avoided.
 Building Configuration Contd….
• Distribution of stiffness both in plan and over
the building height should be as uniform as
possible.
• Buildings as shown in figure below should be
avoided.

Fig. : Building with Changing Elevation.

 Typical Plan of Buildings Improvement
1. Rectangular Buildings 1. Modification not Required

2. Square Buildings 2. Modification not Required

Typical Plan of Buildings Improvement
3. Approximately Symmetrical 3. Modification not Required

4. Too Long Buildings 4. Divide Building in Suitable

Parts.
Typical Plan of Buildings Improvement
5. Too Long and Narrow with 5. Divide Building in Suitable
Some Projections Parts.

6. Too Long Projections too 6. Divide Building in Suitable

Large. Parts.
Configuration: Irregular Shapes

Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus 34

Configuration Problem

Irregular shape: L-shape building

Configuration Problem
Open on Lower Floor
Large Doors & Windows
 Unbalanced Openings

Jitendra K Bothara

• Front Back
Openings at Corner
Failure of Long Wall

Long & High Wall

 Failure of Gable Wall

Failure of gable walls due to the high height and lack of suppo
at the top
Pounding Effect
Questions?
Thank You!