Campus members reflect on earthquake preparedness at UC Berkeley
Flora Huynh/Staff
Following the collapse of a condominium building in Florida, members of the UC Berkeley community took the time to reflect on existing building regulations and the campus’s overall earthquake preparedness.
The destruction, which occurred June 24, may have been caused by excessive weight on the building’s columns, causing the tower to lean, according to Khalid Mosalam, campus professor of structural engineering. Mosalam added that the building was 40 years old and followed older building code provisions, which may have increased the likelihood of a collapse.
“(A)bnormal loading like major earthquakes can cause these collapses if designs are not considering collapse prevention provisions…” Mosalam said in an email. “Unfortunately, aging infrastructure is always a problem as materials deteriorate over the years and we at least need good monitoring systems.”