Seismic design

Arup works in earthquake-prone areas worldwide, ensuring the highest standards of safe building design. In much of the world, from Japan to the Americas, innovative seismic design is fundamental to how we design and protect buildings and infrastructure from natural and man-made shocks.

We have accumulated formidable experience and skill in seismic design, and the essential specialist fields behind it – including seismology, geotechnical and structural engineering, risk assessment and management.

Enabling creative architecture

We work with clients and architects to engineer the most ambitious structures to be both earthquake-tolerant and economically viable.

Our landmark projects include 181 Fremont Tower in San Francisco, the Taipei Performing Arts Centre, Sagrada Família and Torre Reforma in Mexico City.

Safeguard critical assets

To protect communities and businesses, it is essential to safeguard the utilities and infrastructure they depend on. We use performance-based design methods and modern seismic protection technologies to provide assured functionality for recovery-critical facilities such as hospitals, energy infrastructure, telecommunications facilities and airport terminals such as Sabiha Gokcen terminal in Turkey.

We work with major multinationals companies such as HSBC, Procter & Gamble and Toyota to help them minimise the impacts of earthquakes on their staff, facilities and productivity. Our catastrophe risk management experts provide engineering-informed advice to public and private sector clients on mitigation and insurance strategies.

We provide post-earthquake support to clients through our global network of offices, and participate in field survey missions with other professionals and academics through organisations such as EERI and EEFIT.

Promoting resilience

Arup has become a global leader in seismic engineering through the innovative approach we have adopted in our design projects and in promoting the societal benefits of improved resilience.

Since current building codes do not focus on earthquake resilience, Arup developed the REDi Rating System which provides owners, architects and engineers a framework for resilience-based earthquake design. This is being used on projects such as 181 Fremont Tower in the US.

We have also been instrumental in rebuilding areas devastated by major tsunami such as the 2004 Indian Ocean and 2010 Maule Chile events. Arup was chosen to redesign Constitución’s waterfront which was devastated by the tsunami and began by drafting a sustainable reconstruction plan.