When an earthquake strikes, how do hospitals and schools remain standing?

When the earth trembles and seismic waves sweep in like invisible behemoths, the safety of public buildings—such as hospitals and schools—which safeguard lives and the future, captures the attention of the entire society. These structures are not merely piles of bricks, stones, and concrete; they are bastions of life and beacons of hope in the face of disaster. Ensuring these structures truly “stand firm” in the face of disaster is a comprehensive challenge involving technology, responsibility, and foresight.

Traditional seismic design often follows the principle of “withstanding major earthquakes, being repairable after moderate earthquakes, and remaining undamaged by minor earthquakes,” but for hospitals and schools, this standard must be imbued with deeper meaning. Hospitals must continue to operate after an earthquake; operating rooms cannot lose power, intensive care equipment cannot shut down, and corridors must remain clear to receive the injured. Schools, meanwhile, must serve as reliable community shelters, protecting dense populations, and may be the first to resume classes after a disaster, thereby maintaining social order and psychological stability. Therefore, their seismic solutions must go beyond those of ordinary buildings, aiming for the higher goals of “functional sustainability” or “resilience.”

Achieving this goal relies first and foremost on meticulous design and high-standard construction from the very beginning. Site selection must avoid active faults, liquefiable sand soils, and landslide-prone areas. In structural design, in addition to employing proven technologies such as frame-shear wall systems and seismic isolation bearings, targeted reinforcement is essential. For example, floors housing large medical equipment in hospitals, areas storing hazardous materials, and large-span structures such as school auditoriums and gymnasiums all require specialized analysis and reinforcement. Strict control over building materials and construction methods is absolutely critical; any cutting of corners or oversight in supervision could lead to an irreversible tragedy at some point in the future.

However, simply “bracing against” seismic forces is not the optimal solution. In recent years, flexible seismic resistance technologies—represented by “seismic isolation” and “energy-dissipating damping”—have provided smarter solutions for public buildings. Seismic isolation technology is akin to installing a “cushioning skateboard” at the base of a building; through devices such as rubber seismic isolation bearings, it isolates the upper structure from the vibrating ground, significantly reducing the energy transmitted into the building. Imagine this: when the ground shakes violently, the upper structure of a seismic-isolated building may experience only slight horizontal sway. Inside, medical equipment remains undamaged, surgeries can proceed as scheduled, and classes continue uninterrupted. Energy-dissipating seismic mitigation, on the other hand, is like installing “dampers” in a building. It uses specific energy-dissipating components—such as metal yield dampers or viscous dampers—to absorb and dissipate seismic energy, thereby protecting the main structure. Although these technologies require a higher initial investment, they offer significant benefits in terms of safeguarding critical functions and reducing post-earthquake repair costs and downtime.

With the building’s “skeleton” strengthened, its “nervous system” and “lifelines” must also be fully secured. For hospitals, emergency power systems, backup water sources, medical gas supply lines, and information networks must all be earthquake-resistant and configured with redundancy. Core departments such as operating rooms, ICUs, blood banks, and pharmacies should be located in the structurally most stable areas, and their internal furniture and equipment must be securely fastened to prevent secondary injuries caused by overturning or sliding. Schools must ensure that escape routes remain absolutely unobstructed, use shatter-resistant materials for windows and doors, and ensure that suspended items such as lights, fans, and projectors are safely and securely mounted; chemical storage cabinets in laboratories require special anchoring. Furthermore, clear emergency evacuation signage and a well-stocked emergency supply warehouse are indispensable details in seismic design.

No matter how advanced the technology, it remains ineffective without proper human application. Therefore, a comprehensive seismic solution must include routine assessments, maintenance, and drills. Regular structural health monitoring, along with inspections and reinforcement of non-structural components and critical equipment, ensures that performance does not degrade over time. At the same time, hospitals and schools must develop detailed emergency response plans and frequently organize realistic earthquake evacuation and emergency response drills for students, staff, and medical personnel. Ensuring that everyone inside the building knows exactly how to act when danger strikes is, in itself, the reinforcement of another invisible “seismic barrier.”

Ultimately, ensuring that hospitals and schools remain standing during an earthquake embodies a society’s highest respect for life and the future. It requires decision-makers to possess foresight that transcends short-term economic considerations; it demands that designers and builders embrace a near-obsessive dedication to craftsmanship; and it calls on managers and users to shoulder the responsibility of daily maintenance and preparedness. Every investment and every detail contributes to building up precious “resilience” for the day of an unforeseeable disaster. When seismic waves strike, our greatest hope is not merely to see the buildings still standing, but to see the light of life continuing to shine within them, and to hear the sound of students’ voices reading aloud resound once again soon after. This is the ultimate significance of earthquake-resistant solutions.