Constructing Hospitals for Functionality after Earthquakes: Saves Lives and Costs!

Applications of the American Seismic Isolator Standard “SIS” are summarized. The SIS is the only construction standard that specifies design criteria for retaining the functionality of hospitals after earthquakes. The SIS specifies limits for in-structure accelerations and deformations. Earthquake data shows that the SIS limits are the maximum that can be tollerated and retain the functionaluity of hospitals after earthquakes. The Adana and Elazig hospital complexes retained 100% functionality after the severe earthquakes that occurred in Turkey in 2023 and 2020. These earthquakes resulted in 55,000 fatalities and 236 health care facilities losing functionality. Since the 1989 California earthquake, 18 structures with SIS isolators have retained 100% functionality after major earthquakes that caused over 800,000 deaths, and over 700,000 structures to be demolished. The functionality of these SIS structures saved many lives by enabling post-earthquake emergency services. Since 1985, SIS isolators have been implemented in over 40 million square meters of important buildings, bridges, and industrial facilities, in 34 countries. The cost to build these 40 million square meters of important structures with SIS isolators was about the same as constructing ductile moment frames for only collapse avoidance without isolators.

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