June 20, 2006

International Workshop on Base Isolated High-rise Buildings

Yerevan - The Anti-Seismic Systems International Society and the American University of Armenia (AUA), in collaboration with the Armenian Association for Earthquake Engineering, held an international workshop on "Base Isolated High-Rise Buildings" on June 15-17, 2006 at AUA. Forty experts attended from 9 countries, including Armenia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and the US.

The event provided a forum for the engineering community to assess its accumulated experience with the behavior of civil buildings, such as high-rise apartment buildings and multifunctional complexes, during different types of earthquakes. Experts promoted the idea of incorporating innovative Seismic Isolation (SI)techniques into the design rules for high-rise structures, and addressed the growing interest in extending the application of SI techniques to other fields. Five academic sessions and an international exhibition were followed by technical visits to base isolated high-rise building sites in Yerevan. Workshop findings were summarized during the closing session, and all scientific documents will be published.

Armenia was the first among developing nations to implement seismic isolation technology, and the only such country to have supported substantial improvements to the technology, especially for apartments, schools, hospitals and high-rise buildings. Armenia has also pioneered the practice of retrofitting buildings for seismic isolation at the base and roof without vacating residents or terminating maintenance.

Mikayel Melkumyan, AUA Professor, President of Armenian Association for Earthquake Engineering, VP of the International Association for Seismic Isolation of NIS Countries, and member of the executive committee/treasurer of Anti Seismic Systems International Society, proposed the workshop and its location during the 9th World Seminar on Seismic Isolation, Energy Dissipation and Active Vibration Control of Structures in Kobe in 2005. "The aim of the Workshop is the further strengthening ofinternational collaboration on research, transfer of technology and information, implementation of anti-seismic systems in practice, and dissemination of information among decision makers and construction designers in seismic-prone countries, to promote implementation of innovative SI techniques in construction of high-rise buildings," he stated.