More than 30 buildings on Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus are at high risk of falling or sustaining serious damage in the event of a major earthquake.
The report, compiled by Canadian engineering consultants Read Jones Christoffersen and obtained by Postmedia via freedom of information request, evaluated over 70 “blocks” of SFU campus, which consists largely of connected concrete structures. “The Big One” — an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or higher on the Richter scale, which occurs roughly once every 500 years in the Pacific Northwest — would begin off the coast of Vancouver island but could still cause the ground to roll and liquefy in Metro Vancouver, Clague says, which could seriously damage tall buildings.
Clague agreed it’s unlikely a quake will be direct, but recommends planning for the worst-case scenario. Waddeil points out most SFU buildings were built before 1995, when seismic requirements become “more stringent,” and says the university is working to develop a full-risk assessment in line with UBC.
Advocates say retrofitting is long overdue, especially considering the campus’s unique architectural status.Simon Scott, director of the Arthur Erickson Foundation, says the campus’s unique interconnected design makes it an internationally notable piece of architecture that could one day be considered a World Heritage site.
Love the energy and optimism of these kids but wonder if anyone is teaching them about accountability and the impact of bad decisions. If these kids come out of this thinking all the “homeless” are all victims, we’ll all be worse off.