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In February 2023, following the Turkey-Syria earthquake, many Georgians began asking the same question: What would happen if an earthquake of such magnitude occurred in Tbilisi? According to an assessment by the head of a construction association, an earthquake with a magnitude of more than 7 would damage more than 70 percent of the city’s buildings. This figure reflects a specific situation: most buildings in Tbilisi do not meet current seismic resilience standards.<\/p>\n
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Is it dangerous to be in an elevator during an earthquake? Are elevators installed in all buildings compliant with seismic requirements? \u2014 This blog answers these questions.<\/p>\n
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Georgia is part of the Caucasus seismic belt. The 1991 Racha earthquake (M7.1) claimed the lives of thousands of people. Due to its geological conditions, Tbilisi belongs to a particularly high-risk group: parts of the city are built on foundations located on residual soils, artificial fill, or under the influence of elevated groundwater levels. Seismic waves travel much more strongly through such soil than through rocky ground.<\/p>\n
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In addition, Georgia still uses the 1999 seismic hazard map. A new map was created in 2020 together with international experts, but it has not yet been officially approved. Specialists point out that in some areas where a magnitude of 6 was previously considered, a magnitude of 8 is now a more realistic assessment. This means that infrastructure designed to withstand up to magnitude 6 may now exceed its safety threshold.<\/p>\n
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It is precisely in such buildings that elevators are often installed without seismic analysis. The shaft is incorporated into the structure, the frame is attached to the wall, while technical documentation either does not exist or does not include seismic calculations at all. This is a systemic deficiency and a direct result of weaknesses in the regulatory framework. The city is growing vertically \u2014 an elevator is a mandatory element in new buildings, while seismic standards are often pushed into the background.<\/p>\n
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A large portion of the buildings in Tbilisi’s historic center were constructed before the 1960s without consideration of anti-seismic measures. The response of these buildings to seismic waves is completely different from that of modern reinforced-concrete frames. Many of them feature wooden roofs, unreinforced walls, and structural elements that are poorly connected to one another.<\/p>\n
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A properly designed elevator automatically stops at the nearest floor when shaking occurs \u2014 the doors open, and the passenger exits. This function is performed by a seismic sensor: it detects the waves at an early stage and stops the equipment. This is a standard requirement for seismic zones.<\/p>\n
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This is complemented by a reinforced shaft, special counterweight restraints, and flexible components that absorb seismic energy rather than breaking. Together, these elements allow the elevator to maintain safety during shaking.<\/p>\n
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An elevator installed without these standards, particularly in a building where the shaft was not originally designed for an elevator, creates a serious hazard during an earthquake. Elevator safety<\/a> in this case depends on the structural condition of the building.<\/p>\n \n \n <\/p>\n In Europe, EN 1998, Eurocode 8, is used for designing buildings and their elements in seismic zones. This standard serves three purposes: protecting lives, limiting damage, and maintaining the operation of critical facilities. An elevator falls into all three categories simultaneously.<\/p>\n \n In practice, this means that elevator selection, installation, and shaft construction should be part of the building’s seismic analysis. A company working according to Eurocode 8 takes into account the site’s seismic intensity zone, soil category, and the building’s natural vibration parameters when designing an elevator.<\/p>\n \n \n <\/p>\n In a residential building, the elevator is part of the common property. This means that responsibility for its condition is shared by all apartment owners. A seismic assessment or, if necessary, reinforcement is a collective decision.<\/p>\n \n The situation is different for commercial buildings: after a seismic event, the rapid resumption of operations is a management priority. Studies confirm that systems compliant with seismic standards significantly reduce repair time. In the long term, this can also have a positive effect on the building’s market value.<\/p>\n \n \n <\/p>\n The first step is to determine whether your elevator is equipped with a seismic sensor. This single component plays the most important role during shaking. The next step is to check the technical documentation. If it does not contain a seismic analysis, this is a matter of concern and requires additional assessment.<\/p>\n \n The CLC<\/a> team carries out the installation and servicing of elevators<\/a> according to European standards. The company works with both residential and commercial buildings and takes seismic factors into account at the design stage when selecting elevators.<\/p>\n \n If you have questions about the condition of the elevator in your building, you can contact us for a consultation.<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In February 2023, following the Turkey-Syria earthquake, many Georgians began asking the same question: What would happen if an earthquake of such magnitude occurred in Tbilisi? According to an assessment by the head of a construction association, an earthquake with a magnitude of more than 7 would damage more than 70 percent of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16821"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16876,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16821\/revisions\/16876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clc.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}European Standard \u2014 What Does It Mean in Practice?<\/h2>\n
Who Does This Apply To?<\/h2>\n
How Much Does an Inspection Cost?<\/h2>\n