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- Category: Properties
- 05 Nov 2013
AN Italian architect who grew up in a country infamous for its frequent earthquakes and old Roman structures has opined that, following the deadly tremor in the Visayas, local architects and builders should now fully incorporate earthquake-proof principles when building structures in the country.
“Italy and the Philippines have many similarities when it comes to natural calamities, particularly volcanic activity and earthquakes, which is why the two countries can learn from each other in terms of construction,” said Romolo V. Nati, executive chairman and CEO of the Italian-Filipino firm Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corp. (ITPI).
“For Italians, building quake-proof structures is not just an option. Every time we design in Italy, we have to consider that we are building something in an earthquake-prone country,” said Nati, who took up architecture and graduated summa cum laude from La Sapienza University in Rome.
Nati now calls the Philippines his home, having set up ITPI, which is an affiliate of the renewable-energy firm Constellation Energy Corp., with business partner and ITPI President Atty. Jojo Leviste in 2009. They also started building a 10-story condominium in Cagayan de Oro City—Primavera Residences, which is the first and only sustainable building in Mindanao.
The Philippines is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region encircling the Pacific where frequent seismic and volcanic activities occur. According to the Asia-Pacific Environment Outlook released by the United Nations Environment Programme, the country experiences an average of five earthquakes a day due to its location between two of the world’s most active tectonic plates.
Italy, on the other hand, lies at the meeting point of the European and African tectonic plates, experiences frequent geological movement, and has well-defined fault lines, which earned its reputation as one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
Nati said one way to prevent structural damage brought about by earthquakes is by building tubo cavo (hollow tube) or tube-shaped structures, which is the best shape to react to stress and opposing forces within the earth.
“The shape of the building must be done in such a way that it optimizes the building’s capability to adapt to seismic activity. The tube structure is the best shape to withstand forces and ground motion brought about by earthquakes.” He also pointed to bamboo as an example from nature: its tubular structure combines strength and lightness, having evolved to withstand stress in a way that modern architectural principles can emulate.
According to Nati, apart from the building’s design and size, its materials should also flex rather than resist ground motion during earthquakes.
“There is a misconception that buildings have to be very rigid to survive earthquakes when, in fact, they have to be flexible. Structures made from bricks and stones are very rigid, and in order to retrofit them to make them a safer place in case of earthquakes, they need to be reinforced with steel structures to render them earthquake-resistant,” explained Nati.
Leviste said Nati has made sure all these earthquake-proof principles have been incorporated in ITPI’s premier condo project, Primavera Residences. He emphasized that safety is ITPI’s number-one priority when it comes to designing and putting up buildings.
“Since the building started construction in 2010, several earthquakes have hit Cagayan de Oro City, but Primavera Residences has sustained no damage,” said Leviste.
A magnitude-5.3 earthquake was recently felt in CDO following the 7.2-magnitude quake that shook Bohol and Cebu. Leviste said the quake caused some local buildings to develop cracks, but it brought no damage to Primavera Residences.
Set up in 2009, ITPI has partnerships with Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines (ICCP) Group of Companies, the leading independent investment bank in the country and the owner of a land development estate in Northern Mindanao; Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Board of Investments (BOI), Philippine Green Building Council (PGBC), Pueblo de Oro Development Corp.; and First Oriental Development Corp. (FODC), a triple-AAA contractor that specializes in green construction, Habitat for Humanity Philippines, and Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) Welfare Philippines.
In Photo: Primavera’s earthquake-resistant attributes have prevented the building from incurring damages from several earthquakes since 2010. (Right photo) ITPI uses state-of-the-art software products to design the structures of its buildings so that they are able to withstand major natural calamities, such as earthquakes and typhoons. The computer-generated simulations show the reactions of the structure from various strains coming from different directions.
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