Analyzing the Historical Earth Construction for Achieving Earthquake Safety

Abstract

Earthen wall has low thermal conductivity and very good energy storage capacity, it can contribute to minimizing the global energy consumption. Although one third of the global population lives in earthen houses, construction technology is still not advanced in this field. Earthen buildings when damaged or collapsed, pose a higher threat to human health than other buildings, through inhalation of soil-dust which can be fatal. Construction techniques of earthen buildings should be steered to use the industrialized technology. The industrial technology to produce earthen buildings should be incorporated into the scope of higher education in architecture and civil engineering. The main factors for improving the technology are durability and earthquake-resistance of the buildings. This article will discuss some researches on earthquake safety conducted at Istanbul Technical University; outline the findings of laboratory and seismic table tests on load bearing wall structure and compare the results in the light of the methods on historical earthen buildings.