Parameterization and Evaluation of Seismic Resistance within the Context of Architectural Design

This paper explores and discusses the possible relations between the architecture and seismic resistance of buildings. The first part of the paper stresses the practical importance of earthquake resistance in every building built in earthquake prone areas. Further on it is shown that the earthquake resistance in architectural expression can be dealt in hidden or concealed principles or on the other hand in revealed or emphasized ways. The paper hypothesize that the architectural design, which to a certain level reflects an earthquake threat, might provide a better designs with stronger architectural identity for buildings in earthquake-prone areas. In this context it summarizes the term “earthquake architecture†, which is defined as particular approach to design of buildings in architecture in a way which draws the inspiration from earthquake engineering. Such an approach might be one of the best responses of the architects (in cooperation with structural engineers and earthquake specialists) to the earthquake threats. In the second part of the paper the proposed method for recognition and evaluation of architecture in the context of earthquake resistance is presented. Using this evaluation method, it is possible to classify buildings at several different levels of “earthquake architecture†. Case study of three comparable competition projects is presented as example of using this method to evaluate the architectural design in the context of seismic resistance, and at the same time, to indicate the ways in which architecture can play its role part within earthquake resistant design.