Bosai Solution ID : JBP00042

Design of Seismic Isolated Buildings
Seismic isolation enables recovery of the building's functions as well as structuralsafetyHazardEarthquake

Solution Purpose
Prevention & Mitigation

Solution Theme
Building Technology

Technology Subject
Facility for Disaster Prevention Design & Construction of Resilient Building Resilience Improvement onExisting Building

Advantages
Having designed more than 300 seismically isolated buildings, Nikken Sekkei can offer the best seismic
isolation solutions. Nikken Sekkei is a comprehensive design firm with structural engineers, architects,
and MEP engineers with extensive experience in seismic isolation technologies. Nikken Sekkei’s
seismic-isolation building designs provide earthquake resistance and easy recovery. Nikken Sekkei
recommends seismic isolation for government facilities and emergency recovery centers that leaddisaster emergency and recovery efforts after an earthquake, hospitals that have non-transferable
patients, factories that require high levels of safety, and offices and data centers that require businesscontinuity.

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Solution Illustrated

In the blackout after the shake of the 2011 great earthquake, EPS suprted medical activities.

Background
Seismic isolation has been applied to buildings for a long time. In Japan, the application of seismic
isolation technologies to buildings increased drastically after the Hanshin Awaji Great Earthquake in1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. As of 2012, more than 3,300 buildings and morethan 4,600 houses have been seismically isolated. Japan leads the world in seismic isolation. Japan’s
seismic isolation engineering has been proven in two great earthquakes. Seismically isolated buildingsin the devastated areas suffered no damage in the 2011 great earthquake.
Japanese engineers design seismically isolated buildings using combinations of devices, such as rubber
bearings, sliding bearings, roller bearings, hysteresis dampers, and oil damper.
These outcomes were made possible by collaborations of industry, academia, and government in theresearch and development of codes and standards, design methods, and devices for seismic isolation
technologies, as well as by several percentage points of additional investment in building structures by
the owners of buildings and houses.

Exposition of the Solution
Seismic isolation enhances a building’s safety in a severe earthquake and significantly mitigates theacceleration of the items inside the building. This speed the recovery of the building’s functions after asevere earthquake. Seismic Isolation prevents the loss of function, especially in facilities that are vital foremergency and recovery efforts. This safety forms the basis of a building’s business continuity plan(BCP) and district continuity plan (DCP). Seismic isolation also contributes to a hospital’s medical＜ Downloaded from www.bosai-jp.org ＞

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continuity plan (MCP) after an earthquake, when hospitals must be able to handle dramatic increases in
the number of patients.

Achievements of Examples
Nikken Sekkei group has designed more than 300 seismic isolated buildings, including offices,condominiums, data centers, governmental facilities, emergency recovery centers, and major hospitals.
Since the East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, Nikken Sekkei usually proposes seismic isolation for
major hospitals.

Corporate Profile
NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD
2-18-3 Iidabashis, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8117, Japan Tel. : +81-3-5226-3030
 E-mail : shintani.kohei@nikken.jp
 Website : https://www.nikken.co.jp/ja/＜ Downloaded from www.bosai-jp.org ＞

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