MANILA, Philippines - As an archipelago sitting right smack in the seismically volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines will undoubtedly receive its share of high-magnitude earthquakes. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recently announced the possible occurrence of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Metro Manila.

But does knowledge translate to action? Inquirer Property identified a number of major property developers in the metropo lis and asked them the “earth-shaking” question: Are their projects prepared for the Big One?

Robinsons Land Corp. replies that its buildings were designed to be earthquake-resistant.

“This is the parameter of our structural engineers. Earthquake-resistant buildings are buildings that have been designed to adapt to seismic forces. Other (developers) build earthquake-proof instead of earthquake-resistant (buildings),” says architect Henry L. Yap, general manager of RLC’s office buildings division. He also notes that their buildings are also designed to consider other environmental impacts such as strong winds.

Most RLC condominium buildings are high-rises, he discloses, with a smattering of mid-rise projects such as Woodsville, Escalades, Vimana, Wellington and Otis.

Luxury condo

Last week, RLC launched the 29-story premium luxury condominium Luxuria Portfolio, to rise at the corner of V. A. Rufino and Valero Streets in Makati. RLC Senior Vice President for sales and marketing Raoul E. Littaua says this would be the first-ever residential development of Robinsons Land in Makati.

Yap adds that structural engineers are required to incorporate seismic design considerations as mandated by the Philippine Structural Code. They can also use international codes (which are more stringent).

He explains that designing an earthquake-resistant building starts with understanding different parameters. Regardless of the code that they use, they are required to consider factors such as the location of the project in relation to earthquake “zones,” the frequency of seismic activity, and site conditions such as soil quality.

“Building and construction are much more complicated when there are forces of nature to be considered,” says Dante M. Abando, president of Alveo Land (an Ayala Land subsidiary).

Withstand strong quakes

Explaining how wind, fire, water and earth are considered in all its developments, Alveo’s “How to Build against the Forces of Nature” news release, stresses that the company adhered to the universal building code and national structural code of the Philippines, and as such its projects’ infrastructure can withstand strong earthquakes. Among other technological processes, Alveo explains that its wind tunnel tests and double piping system ensured that the properties would last.

Very stable structure

Grant Orbeta, Phinma vice president for marketing, sales and design, says that aside from following local and international structural design codes and guidelines, the company utilizes a cast-in-place box building system primarily composed of reinforced concrete walls.

“This design makes our condo buildings a very stable structure. Structural integrity is a primary concern and to this effect we have aligned ourselves with international standards and are the first and only triple ISO-certified developer in the country,” he says.

According to him, unlike a conventionally built structure that is composed of columns and beams for support, all their walls (except for the façade and bathrooms) are load-bearing, thus making the structure very stiff and rigid.

“We also pay close attention to soil conditions and invest in soil tests even during site evaluation stage. We design our foundations based on the soil test results to make sure the structural design takes into consideration every aspect of the site conditions,” Orbeta adds.