EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT

ARCHITECTURE
SITE SELECTION, SITE PLANING & SITE
DEVELOPMENT FOR EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT
DESIGN

SITE SELECTION
The selection of suitable site is a crucial step in the design
of a building or planning a settlement in an earthquake
prone area.
There are a number of earthquake related hazards which
should always be considered when choosing a site,
together with the influence of the ground conditions at the
site on the ground motion which the building may
experience in a future earthquake.
An assessment of extent of earthquake hazard should
always form a part of overall site assessment and of
specification for the design of any structures to be built
there.
No site can be expected to be ideal in all respects, so the
choice of site will often involve a judgment about relative
risks and the costs of designing to protect from them.
But there can be some sites which could be so hazardous
that they should be avoided if at all possible.

INFILL SITE

BUILT FORM

Site selection macro level

Before taking considerations for site at micro
level we have to look at the parameters which
influence at macro level.
Statistical analysis for considerations at macro
level can be done in following steps:
1. By knowing the position of site on the tectonic
plate,
2. By classifying the site in respective seismic zones
which the country is divided into,
3. And even evaluating other risk factors which the
site is subjected to..for example the presence of
hills and rocky areas near the site increases the
risk of landslides during earthquake.

Motion of seismic plates

Seismic zones in India

Earthquake risk zones in India

SITE SELECTION MICRO LEVEL

The site conditions play a vital role in seismic safety of a

building. Hazardous sites should be avoided for building
construction to minimize risks against natural disasters.
Site Investigations will assist in identifying potential danger of
sliding, erosion, land subsidence or liquefaction during an
earthquake.
The local practice of managing any such hazard should be
given due considerations.
A safer site is the one having:
No danger of landslides
Sufficient plantation on slope
Trees not too close to the house
Mild slope
Far from river banks

POTENTIAL
HAZARDOUS SITES

Steep and unstable slopes

Building should not be constructed near steep and unstable
slopes. Cliffs made of soft or crumbly, clay loam, deposits
materials, etc. should be avoided.

Areas susceptible to landslides and rock fall

Landslides or rock fall areas should be avoided
while selecting a site for building construction.
Apparently some slopes may look stable, but failure
could be triggered by an earthquake.
Landslides and rock fall can damage buildings
partially or completely. However, building in these
areas can be constructed after providing proper
retaining walls and green barriers.
Simple indication of sustained stability of a slope is
the presence of upright standing trees on it.
Abnormally inclined trees on a slope indicate
instability of the hill slope.

Rock falls

River banks
Buildings should be far enough from the river
to avoid flash flood and earthquake damage.

Geological fault and Ruptured areas

Geological fault and ruptured areas that are usually
visible, permanent, deep and active should be
avoided for construction.
Buildings should be constructed at least 250 m
away from these lines.

Site planning
Considerations to be taken while designing
the site on :
1. Steep slopes
2. Filled up soil

Steep slopes
Buildings should be sufficiently
away from steep slopes. Sites
located on or very close to steep
slopes are always prone to
landslides, especially in the
earthquake prone regions.
Even if the building has good
earthquake resistant construction,
they are prone to damages or total
destructions on such sites.
The periodic landslides are
triggered by other aspects like
excess rains, seepage etc.
The Himalayan regions are
particularly prone to landslides.
Such landslides often prove to be
more disastrous than the actual
earthquake event.

Buildings located near

steep slopes

Filled up soil
Foundation should rest
only on firm soil and not
on filled up soil.
Such constructions on
filled up soils have
witnessed extensive
damages in the January
2001 Gujarat earthquake.

Buildings
located on filled up soil
should be avoided

Raft and pile foundations

Many times it is
unavoidable to
construct the structure
on filled up soil, as in
most cases choice of
site is not the option we
have.
In such situations raft
on pile foundations
have to be provided as
shown in figure.

Buildings located on
filled up soil should be provided
with raft on pile foundations

Forest and trees

The forests are really useful to stop landslides but buildings
should not be constructed close to any big tree, as there
might be a possibility of falling of the trees during
earthquake.
The distance between tree and house should preferably be
at least equal to the height of tree or house, whichever is
greater.

Too Close building

Building should not be constructed close to another
building: there might be a possibility of falling of
building during earthquake.
The distance between two houses should be at least
equal to the height of house.

 Taiwan (JiJi) Earthquake ,1999

Nisee.berkeley.edu/taiwan/mahin/index.html
Sustainable built environment in high seismic zone:
case study of a modern township in the north eastern region
of india. (Research Paper)