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Ancient Wooden Structures Brave The Quakes

This document discusses several ancient wooden structures in China that have survived major earthquakes. It describes a centuries-old courtyard house in Ya'an, Sichuan that withstood the 2013 7.0 magnitude quake with only minor damage. It also discusses the Avalokitesvara Pavilion built in 984 AD in Tianjin that endured a nearby 8.0 quake in 1976 with only plaster cracking. Finally, it mentions the 1056 Sakyamuni Pagoda in Shanxi that has survived multiple large quakes due to its solid base and octagonal shape that resists seismic forces.

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72 views4 pages

Ancient Wooden Structures Brave The Quakes

This document discusses several ancient wooden structures in China that have survived major earthquakes. It describes a centuries-old courtyard house in Ya'an, Sichuan that withstood the 2013 7.0 magnitude quake with only minor damage. It also discusses the Avalokitesvara Pavilion built in 984 AD in Tianjin that endured a nearby 8.0 quake in 1976 with only plaster cracking. Finally, it mentions the 1056 Sakyamuni Pagoda in Shanxi that has survived multiple large quakes due to its solid base and octagonal shape that resists seismic forces.

Uploaded by

DarcyTyrion
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ancient Wooden Structures Brave the Quakes

Monday, April 29, 2013 | BY: ALICIA ZHANG () After experiencing the 7.0 earthquake in Yaan, Sichuan Province, on 20th April, one house, over a hundred years old, is still standing strong. The Zhangs Courtyard House ( Zhng Ji Dyun), is in the southeast of Gucheng Village, Lushan County,Yaan City, Sichuan Province. This traditional two-floor timber-frame building was built during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi (1862-1875) in the Qing Dynasty. The costly earthquake claimed nearby homes, some cracked, others collapsed completely. But this century old home survived with only a few tiles askew. Seven families now live in that Courtyard House, all emanating from the family tree of 88-year-old He Yuzhen. Before the earthquake, five of those families had moved to new homes, but the earthquake has forced them back. The family live together, without worry about the quality of the house. The quiet life of the countyard is a stark contrast to the destruction and devastation outside. According to a report from the Beijing News, on June 10th, 2008, Yaan began a reconstruction project and declared that the houses could endure a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Only five years later, these houses are nearly all badly damaged. This has caused many to wonder if traditional timber buildings might be the safest way to resit quakes. Traditional Chinese timber buildings are often built on a brick or stone foundation with column bases and support beams. Roofs include purlines, rafters and sheathings, and above where are loess-lime lay and tiles. The timber-frame is the main support system the the buildings, a frame made of vertical columns and horizontal beams For some of the more modern buildings, there are brackets linking the columns and beams.

Avalokitesvara Pavilion in Dule temple

Dule Temple ( Dl S) is a representative work of ancient Chinese wooden architecture, and its superb architectural style helped it endure many intense earthquakes. Avalokitesvara Pavilion ( Gunyn Gin Dule Temple in Ji County, Tianjin were built in 984 A. D. Avalokitesvara Pavilion is 20 meters wide and its three floors reach as high as 23 meters, and this wonder has withstood more than 30 major earthquakes, 4 of which were above 6.5 in magnitude. During the 8.0 earthquake in Tangshan in 1976, Avalokitesvara Pavilion, only dozens of kilometers from the epicenter, the frame was heard cracking, but, in the end, it stayed up. Some witnesses claim the roof moved two meters horizontally and still stood strong. Since the quake, the roof has kept that positioning. Inspections found that only the plaster over the timber-frame was damaged, along with an iron bar connecting the columns of the Avalokitesvara Pavilion. Other minor problems were found, but the building has stood as the test of history since.

Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, Shanxi Province

Sakyamuni Pagoda ( Shji T is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056. The pagoda, which survived several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, reached a level of such fame within China that it has been given the generic nickname of the Muta (, literally, Timber/Wooden Pagoda). The pagoda stands on a 4.4-meter tall stone platform, has a 10 meter-tall steeple, and reaches a total height of 67.31 meters. It is the oldest existing fully wooden pagoda still

standing in China. This Muta is in the Datong Basin seismic belt, after 200 years standing strong, it suffered an earthquake and aftershocks for seven consecutive days. The nearby houses all collapsed but Muta stayed. Since then it has seen other large earthquakes but seems incapable of collapse. There are a few reasons the Pagoda is so resistant. For example, it is an octagon, helping it to resist twists generated by seismic disturbances. Also, its 4.4-meter solid base acts as a raft to keep it floating above the quake, all supporting the 1,300 tons of the earthquake itself. The whole system effectively resists rotation and collapse, with the pillars and cylindrical frame taking the strain. While the history of these buildings is certainly impressive, the greatest treasure they hold is in their durability And in that, the lessons they can teach future engineers and city planners are a valuable inheritance indeed.

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