Presentation: How Soil Conditions Affect Building Performance During an Earthquake

Presenter: Dr Carlos Ventura P.E., P. ENG

SUMMARY:

The performance of buildings during an earthquake depends not only on the type of construction but also on the type of soil on which the building is funded.  Lessons learned from past earthquakes have shown that the type of soil has a very significant influence on how buildings shake, to the point that the level of damage that a building might experience is closely related to the type of soil under and in the vicinity of the building.

This talk will discuss how soil conditions affect the level of shaking at a site and how engineers account for the soil conditions when designing a building to resist earthquake shaking. It will also provide information to home owners about what to expect in the different regions of Metro Vancouver.

BIO:

Dr Carlos Ventura is a Professor and Director EERF – Department of Civil Engineering – UBC