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Glossary for gem taxonomy

Authors: Luke Allen, Andrew Charleson, Svetlana Brzev, and Charles Scawthorn

This online Glossary explains around 400 terms contained in the GEM Building Taxonomy v 2.0 and nearly 700 images.

The terms have been listed in alphabetical and numerical order. Text description of each term is accompanied by illustrations (photos and/or drawings) where possible.

We welcome contributions in the form of photographs or images, illustrating glossary terms. If you have any questions you can also contact us at buildingtaxonomy@globalquakemodel.org


Insufficient or no seismic separation gap between buildings thus allowing them to pound and damage each other. A building can have pounding potential if the gap between buildings is less than 4% of the height (h) of the lower building, e.g. less than 400 mm for h = 10 m.

POP_diagram_-_1

If x is less than 4% of h, the buildings can have pounding potential.

POP_USA_Brzev_1

 

POP_USA_Brzev_2

 

Many adjacent buildings in urban centres without a separation gap have pounding potential, Seattle, USA (S. Brzev)

POP_Nepal_PorterK_1

Adjacent buildings of different height, pounding potential, Kathmandu, Nepal (K. Porter)

POP_Algeria_Brzev_1

Two adjacent reinforced concrete buildings on a sloped ground suffered a major damage in the 2003 Boumerdes, Algeria earthquake; the buildings had an inadequate seismic gap, and the pounding effect was significant due to floor slabs at different elevations (S. Brzev)

POP_Greece_Pomonis_1

Damage due to pounding in reinforced concrete buildings with floors at different elevations in the 1999 Athens earthquake (A. Pomonis)

POP_Turkey_WHE64_1

POP_Turkey_WHE64_2

Pounding damage in adjacent buildings of different heights affected by the 1999 Turkey earthquakes (Gulat, Ascheim, and Spence, World Housing Encyclopedia Report 64)

POP_Chile_Brzev_1

Masonry reinforced 3.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Pounding damage in Santiago due to the 2010 Chile earthquake (S. Brzev)

POP_Chile_Brzev_2POP_Chile_Brzev_3

 

Damage to an unreinforced masonry building in Santiago due to the pounding effect in the 2010 Chile earthquake (S. Brzev)

Pounding Potential 2.JPG

Pounding damage due to the 2010 Chile earthquake (S. Brzev)

POP_USA_Scawthorn_1

POP_USA_Scawthorn_2

 

 

 

 

Adjacent buildings without seismic gap, pounding potential, San Francisco, USA (C. Scawthorn)

POP_USA_Scawthorn_3

POP_USA_Scawthorn_4

Adjacent buildings of different height without seismic gap, pounding potential, San Francisco, USA (C. Scawthorn)

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