Predicting and mitigating the effects of earthquake is a principal civil engineering concern in the seismically active ‘Ring of Fire’ along the Asia / Australia tectonic plate border.
Earthquakes, and their potential for devastation far beyond the immediate locality of the event, have burst into the public consciousness over the last decade. The disastrous and costly effects on man-made structures, both from the ground acceleration forces of the quake and the energy carried by side effects such as tsunami, have been graphically emphasised.
As the Country Representative for the Institution of Civil Engineers within Indonesia, Tensar International’s Jakarta-based Mike Dobie* has views which are respected all around the region.
In an article for UpDate, the magazine published by British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, Mike Dobie comments on recent Indonesian newspaper speculation on future earthquake incidence and the effects on Jakarta.
Mike puts some of the newspaper arguments into context about Jakarta’s buildings’ ability to withstand different earthquake magnitudes, and how new seismic data should be urgently incorporated into building design codes.
Mike concludes that, although the immediate Indonesian area has been relatively quiet seismically over the last two or three years, this could easily change with a high magnitude earthquake at any time. Assumptions that buildings could survive this may be premature, as many have not been designed to the latest seismic information; this needs assessment by the building owners. In addition, although Indonesia has adequate seismic design codes and standards, there is always the question whether seismic data has actually been adequately incorporated into the buildings’ construction.
For more information on Tensar International’s reinforced soil structures and ground stabilization technology, please visit: www.tensar.co.uk
* Mike Dobie, FICE, has served as an Area Manager and Regional Manager for Asia Pacific with Tensar International, firstly in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, then in Jakarta Indonesia (1991 to present). He is also the Jakarta Local Association ICE Chairman and committee member and an ICE Country Representative for Indonesia.
About Tensar International
Tensar International is part of Tensar Corporation, a leading global developer and manufacturer of proprietary, highly engineered, non-traditional site-development solutions for infrastructure end-markets, including transportation, commercial and industrial construction. Tensar provides its customers with an integrated suite of innovative products, technologies and application expertise for a wide variety of end uses, including high performance roadways, earth retention structures, building foundations and erosion and sediment control.
In 2007, Tensar launched TriAx™ a new geogrid which Tensar believes offers superior performance in multi-directional stiffness and aggregate confinement, which enables better radial load resistance, resulting in a reduction in aggregate base thickness and improved resistance to rutting. The company also offers a comprehensive design service, technical seminars and on-site support, as part of a range of support services. Tensar International, formerly The Netlon Group, was founded in Blackburn, Lancashire, in 1952.
