Policy to reinforce old buildings makes homes and offices more quake-proof
Policy to reinforce old buildings makes homes and offices more quake-proof
2024-04-18
Since the April 3 earthquake, many people have been rechecking the structural resilience of their homes. If you think your building is quake-proof enough, government support may be available. A government policy to reinforce old buildings applies to both homes and businesses. FTV visited buildings improved by the policy, to see what the work involves, including a National Property Administration office, and a residential unit in Yilan.
This is the National Property Administration office on Aiguo East Road in Taipei. With its thin pillars, the walls of this 40-year-old building have been turned into windows. This structural engineer was concerned by its questionable earthquake resilience, although it has withstood several big quakes. The government’s new “Reinforcement Policy” aims to strengthen buildings’ earthquake resilience, especially consolidating older buildings.
Wu Liang-yu
Taiwan Structural Engineers Association
This pillar has been “column-jacketed.” Its dimensions are clearly larger than the other pillars. How you make it is you first shave off the original plaster, to reveal the structural elements beneath, and on the outside of the old pillar, you re-jacket the column with steel bars surrounded by concrete. So it becomes a new, larger pillar, and its earthquake-resilience is increased. That’s column-jacketing.
Chou Chung-cheh
National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering
Adding an inclined strut or a wall is a very effective method, because their lateral rigidity has much more capacity to withstand quakes than a single pillar. We can say almost 80% of the force of an earthquake is absorbed by the walls and the inclined struts. So when the first tremor comes, they absorb most of it, and even if they are damaged, they protect the pillars. The pillars stay standing. So the building doesn’t collapse, and the people have a chance to escape.
In Yilan, the assembly of a residential unit discussed the building reinforcement policy, and agreed by majority vote on a reinforcement project that would take more than a year. Now their building is stronger than ever, although the improvements are invisible.
Huang Chin-huang
Residential Unit Owner Assembly chair, Yilan
This building is very safe after the reinforcement. For example, this wall was originally here, and this was empty space. The tiles were originally openwork. That was a big threat to the safety of the building. An engineer designed this for us, and it was all reinforced. High-strength cement was poured in to create a load-bearing wall.
Your house may have withstood many strong earthquakes, but that doesn’t mean it is without risk. You may benefit from doing a “health check” on your house, so your home is ready for whatever comes its way.
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老舊建築不必打掉重練 "弱層補強"讓建築更耐震
2024-04-18
歷經0403大地震之後，許多住在老舊建築的民眾，對於結構安全不免感到擔憂。事實上，許多體質比較弱的建築，不需要「打掉重練」，而是可以透過「弱層補強」重新讓房子更加堅固。台北市的國產署大樓以及宜蘭某個社區，都曾經透過「弱層補強」的方式，讓建築物更加堅固。
這裡是台北市愛國東路的國產署大樓，四十多年的屋齡，因為柱子細小，實體牆面變成窗戶；看在結構技師眼裡，耐震能力堪慮。雖然挺過多次強震，但政府也相當重視建築物的耐震能力，針對老舊建築進行「弱層補強」。
[[台灣省結構工程技師公會理事 吳亮宇]]
“這個柱就叫做擴柱，它的尺寸明顯比那根柱子大很多，它的做法就是把原來的柱，粉刷層都先打掉，露出結構層之後，在舊柱的外面重新綁紮鋼筋，重新交織混凝土，成為一個新的大柱子，去增加它的耐震能力，這個方法叫做擴柱”
[[國家地震中心主任 周中哲]]
“加斜撐或牆也是很有效的方式，因為斜撐或牆它的側向勁度，比單根的柱子吃地震力要大很多，可以說是將近80%的地震力，都會由牆或斜撐先吃掉，所以當牆跟斜撐，在第一次地震來襲的時候，它吃了很多地震力，它就算破壞，但是柱子會被保護住，柱子還是會站在那裡，所以房子不會倒，這時候百姓就有機會跑出來”
在宜蘭，有住戶在區權會時發起「弱層補強」的討論，經過社區住戶半數以上同意，歷經一年多的施工，現在的大樓更穩固，也看不出哪裡做過補強。
[[宜蘭社區總幹事 黃錦煌]]
“這棟房子補強過後很安全，像這面牆，這是原來的牆，這裡原來是空的，新的磁磚原來是簍空的 ，這對房子的安全上有很大的威脅，我們就透過技師來設計，設計了以後全部植筋，用高壓水泥，全部灌注成一個支撐的牆面”
或許你家的房子挺過多次的強震，但不代表沒有風險，我們是否也該為自己的家做一次健康檢查，讓這座避風港既耐震，又安全。
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