Taquezal Buildings in Nicaragua and Their Earthquake Performance
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 26, Issue 5
Abstract
Taquezal is a common earthen building type in Nicaragua. It is constructed by building a wood frame and then packing the frame with mud to create thick earthen walls. The wood frame allows the structure to be constructed without the formwork (which is required for rammed earth buildings) and without first constructing blocks (which is generally required in adobe construction). The wood frame also allows a thinner wall than other earthen building types. Commonly, taquezal roofs are made of timber framing and heavy clay tile roofs. Taquezal buildings are not engineered and therefore are difficult to analyze with modern structural engineering methods. During the 1972 Managua earthquake, nearly 10,000 people died, and most of them were in taquezal buildings. This paper discusses taquezal as a structural system and applies engineering methods to this nonengineered structure. It was found that taquezal buildings perform well during low-to-moderate earthquakes if well maintained. However, if the wood is not maintained and allowed to rot, this degrades the roof diaphragm and wall supports, and the performance is considerably diminished.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The research presented in this paper was supported by the Fulbright Foundation and the David L. Boren Awards for International studies for appreciating the value of international studies. Also, partial support from the Engineering Research Institute of Seoul National University, Korea, is acknowledged. The writers thank Dr. Polat Gülkan for his hosting L.S. for a fun filled and informative year at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, and the many personnel who helped at various stages of the research process and during the field survey in Nicaragua. The writers hope that this paper will help people to better understand the seismic vulnerability and behavior of earthen buildings in seismic zones and to improve the seismic performance of those buildings in developing nations. The opinions, findings, and conclusions in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the sponsors.
References
ACI-ASCE Committee 426. (1973). “The shear strength of reinforced concrete members—Chapters 1 to 4.” J. Struct. Div., 99(6), 1093–1187.
American Concrete Institute (ACI). (2008). Building code requirements for structural concrete (ACI 318-08) and commentary (ACI 318R-08), ACI, Farmington Hills, MI.
Amrhein, J. E., Hegemier, G. A., and Krishnamoorthy, G. (1973). “Performance of native construction, masonry structures and special structures in the Managua, Nicaragua earthquake.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 342–403.
Arias, A. (1970). “A measure of earthquake intensity.” Seismic design for nuclear power plant, R. J. Hansen, ed., MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 438–483.
California State Office of Emergency Services (OES). (1973). “The Managua, Nicaragua earthquake of December 23, 1972: An emergency response evaluation.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 2, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 955–975.
Cao, Z., and Watanabe, H. (2004). “Earthquake response prediction and retrofit techniques of adobe structures.” Proc., 13th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, Paper No. 412, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA,
Computers & Structures, Inc. (CSI). (2006). PERFORM-3D nonlinear analysis and performance assessment for 3D structures, Ver. 4 user guide, CSI, Berkeley, CA.
Dewey, J. W., Algermissen, S. T., Langer, C., Dillinger, W., and Hopper, M. (1973). “The Managua earthquake of December 23, 1972: Location, focal mechanism, aftershocks and relationship to recent seismicity of Nicaragua.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 66–88.
Duke, C. M. (1973). “Impact of Managua on earthquake engineering.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 1–7.
FEMA. (2000). “Prestandard and commentary for the seismic rehabilitation of buildings.” FEMA 356, Washington, DC.
Holliday, L. (2009). “Seismic vulnerability of residential structures in Nicaragua.” Ph.D. dissertation, School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.
Leeds, D. J. (1973). “Destructive earthquakes of Nicaragua.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 26–51.
Magenes, G., and Fontana, A. D. (1998). “Simplified non-linear seismic analysis of masonry buildings.” Proc., British Masonry Society, No. 8, British Masonry Society, Surrey, U.K., 190–195.
May, G. W. (1984). “Design for earthquake loads.” Chapter 13, Adobe and rammed earth buildings: Design and construction, P. G. McHenry, ed., University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
McHenry, P. G., ed. (1984). Adobe and rammed earth buildings: Design and construction, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Pereira, E. H., and Creegan, P. J. (1973). “Statistical damage reports—Managua related to seismic events of 12/23/72.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 2, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 733–745.
Plakfer, G., and Brown, R. D., Jr. (1973). “Surface geological effects of the Managua earthquake of December 23, 1972.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 115–142.
Saint-Amand, P. (1973). “The seismicity and geological structure of the Managua, Nicaragua, area.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 8–25.
Santos, C. (1973). “Hydro-geological factors in the occurrence of the earthquakes of Managua.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 52–65.
Shah, H. C., Morgat, C. P., Kiremidjian, A., and Zsutty, T. C. (1975). “A study of seismic risk for Managua.” Rep. 11, John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, CA.
Sozen, M. A., and Matthiesen, R. B. (1975). “Engineering report on the Managua earthquake of December 23, 1972.” Rep., National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.
Teran, J. F. (1973). “Historical context of building forms in Managua.” Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA, 313–341.
Tolles, E. L., Kimbro, E. E., Webster, F. A., and Ginell, W. S. (2000). Seismic stabilization of historic adobe structures: Final report of the Getty seismic adobe project, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS). (2009). Statistics from UNCHS, UNCHS, Nairobi, Kenya.
U.S. Geological Survey. (2007). M6.9 Nicaragua Earthquake of 9 October 2004, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.
Valera, J. E. (1973). Soil conditions and local soil effects during the Managua earthquake of December 23, 1972, Proc., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Conf. on the Managua, Nicaragua, Earthquake of December 23, 1972, Vol. 1, Design for Earthquake Loads 232–264.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 22, 2010
Accepted: Aug 1, 2011
Published online: Aug 3, 2011
Published in print: Oct 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.