GLOSSARY

Listens to the client’s requests and budget, then designs the building’s appearance and floor plan.

A procedure for examining whether a planned building complies with the Building Standards Act. Construction work can begin only after the building has been certified as complying with the Building Standards Act through a building permit application and a confirmation certificate has been issued.

A law (established in 1950) that stipulates minimum standards regarding building sites, structures, equipment, and uses to protect the lives, health, and property of the people.

Garage space within a building.

All or part of the building collapses.

A standard to aim for. Evaluation criteria.

The degree of damage to a building caused by an earthquake. Structural engineers will investigate the subsidence, inclination, and damage to the framework of the damaged building, estimate its seismic performance, and determine whether and to what extent restoration is necessary for continued use.

A design method that increases the strength of buildings and makes them more resistant to earthquakes.

A building’s strength against earthquakes. The degree to which a building can withstand earthquakes.

An earthquake-resistant technology that creates spaces between columns, beams, and walls to disperse the force applied to the framework during an earthquake. It is often used in reinforced concrete buildings such as condominiums.

Building standards for buildings that can withstand earthquakes of a certain strength as determined by the Building Standards Act.

An indicator of the strength of buildings against earthquakes in the housing performance display system.

A grade with the goal of “The building must not collapse or collapse due to the force of an earthquake that occurs extremely rarely (once every several hundred years)” and “The building must not cause damage due to the force of an earthquake that rarely occurs (once every few decades)”. In other words, it is equivalent to the new seismic standards.

A grade with the goal of “The building must not collapse or collapse under the force of 1.25 times the force of an earthquake that occurs extremely rarely (once every several hundred years)” and “No damage caused by a force 1.25 times the force of an earthquake that occurs rarely (once every few decades)”

A grade with the goal of “The building must not collapse or collapse under a force 1.5 times the force of an earthquake that occurs extremely rarely (once every several hundred years).” and “No damage can be caused by a force 1.5 times the force of an earthquake that occurs rarely (once every few decades)”

Among architects who specialize in building structures, architects are constantly practicing “engineering judgment” aimed at improving earthquake resistance, defining their cause as experts in earthquake resistance, and working to solve social issues.

Designing the framework of a building so that it can withstand the forces of an earthquake.

In Structural design, the act of taking responsibility by courageously stating theoretically the validity of calculation results that include assumptions different from those of the actual building based on experience and training.

Design wiring and piping for indoor equipment such as electricity, air conditioning, lighting, water supply, and drainage necessary for daily life.

Calculating estimates for materials, work, personnel, etc. required for construction work.

First-class Architects are qualified to take the exam after receiving specialized education and a certain period of practical experience. Once you are certified as a first-class architect, there are no restrictions on the size of buildings, and you can design any type of building.

A building that has lost some of its basic functions due to a disaster. In other words, the building is severely damaged but can be reused if repaired.

Generally, buildings with a height of more than 31 m to less than 60 m and approximately 11 to 20 stories.

When a building deforms horizontally due to lateral shaking such as an earthquake, this is expressed as a ratio between the difference (displacement) in the horizontal movement distance between the floor of each floor and the floor below it and the floor height. On floors with large interstory deformation angles, deformation concentrates and the load on members increases, leading to “story collapse” where only that story collapses.

Based on the “Long-term Excellent Housing Certification System”, housing is certified by meeting conditions such as earthquake resistance, energy efficiency, living environment, housing area, maintenance plan, maintenance management, ease of renewal, and measures against deterioration. While there are benefits such as special tax treatment and preferential interest rates on mortgages, there are significant burdens such as the cost and time associated with certification, construction costs, and future maintenance.

A building with a height of 13 meters or less and approximately 1 to 3 floors.

Indicates the size (energy) of the earthquake itself.

Severe damage that makes the building unusable.

Damage that requires repair to structural components, such as cracks in columns or load-bearing walls.

A building with a height of more than 13m to less than 31m and approximately 4 to 10 stories.

Quantity of structural member materials required for construction. For example, in the case of reinforced concrete construction, it refers to the quantity of reinforcing bars, concrete, formwork, etc.

Slight damage that does not affect the use of the building.

Building standards after the revision of the Building Standards Act on June 1, 1981. In 1978, the Miyagi Prefecture-Oki Earthquake caused great damage, mainly in Sendai City, and as a result seismic standards were reviewed and laws were amended. The new earthquake-resistance standards set earthquake-resistance goals in two parts “Damage to buildings is minor in the event of an earthquake that occurs once every few decades” and secondly, “prevention of collapse and protection of human lives in the event of an earthquake that occurs once every several hundred years.”

Earthquake resistance standards before June 1, 1981 revision of the Building Standards Act.

An advanced qualification for a first-class architect who is eligible to take the exam by engaging in structural design work as a first-class architect for five years or more. For the structural design of buildings over a certain size, the involvement of a Registered first-class structural engineer is mandatory.

A building that uses reinforced steel inside the concrete. Concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension, so reinforced steel, which is strong in tension, compensates for the concrete’s weaknesses.

A design method that separates a building from the ground using a seismic isolation device to prevent ground shaking from being transmitted to the building.

A method of analyzing a building’s seismic resistance by assuming the ever-changing forces exerted on the building by an earthquake. Seismic response analysis is required by law for high-rise buildings over 60m, but there are not many engineers who can perform seismic response analysis because it requires advanced skills and special software.

A sturdy wall with four sides fixed to a framework of columns and beams to protect a building from lateral shaking caused by earthquakes. Walls or partition walls with large doors or windows are not shear walls.

The framework that supports a building. For example, foundations, columns, beams, floors, etc.

Buildings with a height of over 60m and approximately 21 stories or more. Skyscrapers behave differently when subjected to forces than ordinary buildings. It is mandatory to ensure safety through designs that incorporate seismic response analysis.

Calculations to examine and confirm the safety of buildings. One of the tasks of structural design.

Based on the architectural design plan, we plan and design structural components to prevent buildings from collapsing in the event of an earthquake. Determine how the force is transmitted to the building and ensure that it is transmitted safely to the ground.

Drawings regarding the structure of a building. Creating structural drawings is one of the tasks of structural design. It describes the arrangement of structural members, cross-sectional sizes, joining methods, etc., and buildings are constructed based on the structural drawings at construction sites.

An architect who specializes in architectural structures.

The framework that supports a building. For example, foundations, columns, beams, floors, etc.

A building that has lost its basic functions due to a disaster. In other words, buildings that have completely collapsed, been washed away, buried, or burned down, or buildings that are so severely damaged that it is difficult to restore them and use them again.

A design method in which a damping device absorbs the earthquake force (earthquake energy) applied to a building and suppresses the shaking of the building.

A reinforced concrete structure that supports the building’s load with walls rather than columns and beams. The entire surface supports the building, making it highly earthquake-resistant. And since there are no pillars or beams, the interior space can be expanded.

A building that uses wood for its framework. Generally speaking, buildings are limited to three stories.