Earthquake Proof Homes — Granit Mountain Reserve

Earth Quake Proof Homes — Granite Mountain Reserve
In the Southern California area of the United States, a two-story research complex was built with the TRIDIPANEL SYSTEM jointly funded by the National Science Foundation, Southern California Edison, Inc., and the University of California. It withstood two of California's worst earthquakes in forty years. The structure was struck twice with a (6.5) and (6.9) earthquake on the richter scale. According to Director Dr. Philippe Cohen, who was residing at the site in the Mojave Desert, the area at one point was subjected to a continuous shake lasting over a full minute which created landslides near the structure. The structure went through the quakes with zero structural effects. Complete earthquake structural testing report from a certified engineering firm is available upon request.


Finished buildging structure Rockslides created by an earthquake were behind this building on the mountainside.	Students and volunteers raising a large Tridipanel. This panel was approximately 26' in length. Note the rebar tie-downs, the panel is lifted up and the rebar slipped between the foam and the exterior eleven-gauge wire.
Note the large openings in the wall and yet still no cracking or structural damage.	The structure was built under the direction of Dr. Cohen with the combined efforts of professionals, students, volunteers, manufacturers, craft-people, and different institutions all working together. The finished panels were wired together and shotcreted with 1 1/2 inches of cement on each side to make the panels into a monolithic wall. This produced a finish as straight and true as any formed concrete but, without the labor cost and use of wood forms typical of poured-concrete for projects of this scale.
Coincidentally, the fully shotcreted walls were somewhat horizontally stabilized by the wood roof structures, but no diagonal steel tie seismic restraints were yet installed when the 6.9 and 6.5 Lander's earthquakes hit the desert on June 28,1992.The second quake was the worst recorded in forty years according to Dr. Philippe Cohen who was residing at the site. The area at one point was subjected to a continuous shaking lasting over a full minute, creating rock slides in the area. Incredibly these four buildings, some with tridipanel walls of over twenty four feet high. containing many large windows and openings, showed no signs of damage whatsoever. A full structural analysis was ordered by a certified engineering firm A & B Engineers (Quote from Report) "there was no sign of any cracking or damage of any kind to the superstructures and foundations." I would like to mention that in the past eight years there have been many more earthquakes all with the same results.
Earthquake Report

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