Construction methods and seismic retrofitting suggestions for vernacular timber houses, case studies of an Istanbul house, rumah gadang and kyomachiya

Abstract

Timber has been a crucial building material for residential architecture. Especially in earthquake-prone regions, timber is preferred over other building materials due to its lightweight and strength. In this research, the special properties of timber are discussed. The advantages of timber over other materials are also emphasised. The effects of earthquakes on timber structures are explained. The methods for recording and simulating earthquakes are briefly explained since these systems are crucial in the development of quantitative measurement methods of residual damages on timber structures after earthquakes. Three case study buildings are selected for the research. The case studies are chosen from different parts of the world namely Turkey, Indonesia and Japan. The cultural importance, seismic environment and the construction dates of the structures are considered in the selection. The literature is devoid of research that discusses the similarities of Indonesian and Turkish vernacular timber houses. However, a few studies discuss the similarities between the Japanese and Turkish timber houses. Additionally, countless research projects discuss the similarities and differences of European and Japanese timber houses even though the environmental conditions of these two are significantly different. It is essential to study Turkey, Indonesia and Japan to recognise the similarities and differences in their local construction solutions against earthquakes. The literature review and records from previous site visits by the author are used as a basis to decipher the structural properties of the cases. It is presented that the case studies experience similar lateral loads due to the earthquakes. Diverse structural configurations are used by the local builders to overcome the seismic loads. Therefore, the residual damages and repair works are significantly different for each case. These properties of the cases are explained in detail to be able to suggest suitable future solutions for their sustainability. The existing seismic retrofitting methods that are used in each case study region are discussed. The suitable retrofitting methods are chosen for each case study. The suggested solutions are listed in a table.