Earthquakes in Switzerland carry a significant potential for catastrophic impacts. Over recent decades, attention to reducing earthquake risk has increased. Nevertheless, about half of the existing building stock in Switzerland dates from before the introduction of the first earthquake regulations. As a result, many existing buildings either do not meet current earthquake standards or it is unclear whether they are sufficiently earthquake-resistant.
The SRF programme “einstein” addressed this topic in the episode “How safe are Swiss buildings?”. Dr Safak Arslantürkoglu contributed insights into the assessment of the seismic safety of existing buildings and explained the challenges associated with evaluating Switzerland’s existing building stock.
Public outreach initiatives like this help raise awareness of seismic safety and underline the importance of assessing existing buildings.
The full episode is available here.