For Seismically Safer Schools-What Can Be Learnt from the Field Act in California
One of the saddest and unique features of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was that so many students lost their lives due to collapse of so many school buildings. To prevent such catastrophe from happening again, it is necessary to examine the design procedures and construction practice for school buildings in China. It is also beneficial for China to learn from good examples of other countries in the aspect of laws for school building safety. One such example is the Field Act in California, USA, which was introduced in the wake of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and became a law aiming to provide safe schools on April 10, 1933. In the history of the Field Act, it has well achieved its purpose and objective. Therefore, the Field Act provides some insights for other seismically active countries like China to safeguard school buildings from earthquake damage on the basis of legislation. This paper describes in detail the history, content, and impacts of the Field Act. Based on the principles and logic behind the Field Act, recommendations to introduce similar legislation in China are presented in this paper, which will provide a legal foundation for good design procedures and sound construction practice for school buildings in China. Issues regarding how to implement the legislation and recommended guidance are discussed in the paper considering the successful experience of the Field Act in California and the specific situations in China.
Wenchuan earthquake School buildings Seismic safety the Field Act
Liping Yan
Geotechnical Engineering Group, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles, USA
国际会议
The First Anniversary of Wenchuan Earthquake(纪念汶川地震一周年国际学术会议)
成都
英文
621-624
2009-05-10（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）