When an earthquake strikes, poorly designed and constructed buildings are a major contributing factor to the eventual size and scope of the catastrophe. In many ways, it can be said that it’s not earthquakes that cause human injury and loss of life, but rather it’s buildings that are designed and built with poor strength and resilience.

In this post, we’re going to explore how the best way to save lives in areas of high seismic activity is in fact to design structures that can withstand serious shakes, with the ideal solution being a Cold Formed Steel construction method.

With natural disasters affecting some of the most vulnerable communities across the world, Build Back Better and Safer principles are becoming increasingly important for rebuilding or strengthening buildings in affected areas and protecting the community against excessive damage from future disasters.

FRAMECAD is currently working hand in hand with Red Cross to deploy the best Design and Build solution to rebuild the Vunikaikaloa Arya School in Fiji, destroyed in February / March 2016 by the the passage of the Cyclone Winston.

In countries subject to seismic activity, building design, engineering and construction must be specifically tailored to withstand the unique environmental stresses that result from earthquakes. Studies have demonstrated that light gauge steel (LGS) frame buildings and houses can perform extremely well during seismic events and are increasingly being used for construction in earthquake regions.

In the building and construction sector worldwide there has been an emerging awareness of the term “resilience”. Resilient buildings are a must – especially in areas that are prone to extreme environmental events such as cyclones.