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Earthquake Preparedness in Office Buildings
Anyone with a Makati office should also be aware that part of the Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Philippines. This means that the country is prone to the occasional devastating earthquake. More than just capable of temporarily crippling even a large corporation, it can also exact a tremendous cost in terms of lives and manpower. As such, a company that is looking for space in the country may want to look for signs of earthquake preparedness in the design of the building. If nothing else, it may minimize the cost to manpower after a devastating quake. After all, personnel are one of the keys to getting a company back on its feet after such an event.
Collapse-preventing architecture
One of the major steps that engineers take for giving commercial office space a measure of earthquake preparedness is to design it so that collapse can be prevented in all but the strongest of tremors. Buildings that are square, rectangular, or shell-shaped are known to withstand tremors and aftershocks better than others. Low-rise buildings are also much more stable in the event of vibrations than most high-rise towers. L-shaped buildings are particularly notorious for their inability to withstand earthquakes.
Basic facilities
Not every businessman has the knowledge of architecture or engineering to recognize signs of earthquake preparedness. There are a few things that someone looking into commercial office space can look at. In Philippine real estate, fire exits are commonplace in virtually any public building, and office towers are no different. Check whether or not these are easily accessible from the office. Another thing to look out for would be the materials used. From a structural point of view, an office building made out of stone or masonry without any sort of reinforcement is probably going to collapse when earthquakes hit.
The bureaucracy
For those who really want external validation of the earthquake preparedness of a commercial office space building, a good stop would be the local city engineer’s office. The Philippines, like many other countries, has building codes in place that every building developer is expected to obey, especially those that construct Makati office buildings. This includes standards for the strength and ability of a structure to survive a quake. All you need to do is inquire if a certain building has passed its last inspection.
Earthquake preparedness is a major concern for commercial office space developers in the Philippines, and the more modern buildings are designed to withstand at least mild tremors. Older buildings may not survive a strong quake, but engineers acknowledge that no structure is ever 100% quake-proof. In general, simpler overall structural design and well-supported towers are the best choices.
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