Earthquake in Albania and quality of buildings

We just left behind an unfortunate event that affected us all, the earthquake in Albania

Then, when it seemed as if the land was starting to take over, it looked at the reasons that brought the city of Durres, its surrounding areas or other cities to such damage to housing from earthquake in Albania
Over 5,000 heavily with damages apartments in Durres and Tirana. Over 20 buildings to demolish in Durres, and thousands of families left on the streets.
Who is to blame?
There are many ways we can go back to putting together many responsibilities and links. The competent authorities will deal with this, we will focus on the quality of construction over the years in Albania.

We already know that we live in a hot area of the Balkans, where earthquakes are not a sudden occurrence. We have five seismic zones spread across the country.
The Mediterranean area is otherwise a hot zone. The Euro-African and Euro-Asian tectonic plates collide with each other. This means releasing large amounts of energy, which manifests in the form of earthquakes.
As we do not have phenomena of this nature in our hands, what we can do is build within the standards adopted, both domestic and European.
There is always ongoing research to find materials that are earthquake resistant. Even in the earthquake detection field before causing a natural disaster.

The evolution of construction in Albania

But how has the field of construction evolved in our country? We can say that the construction phases in Albania are into three; 1945-1960, 1960-1990 and after 1990.
According to the affirmations of local engineers, we say that in the first phase of construction there is no seismic protection in the structure, in the second phase it is low and after the 1990s it is again insufficient and not because of ignorance, but because of abuse of building permits or floor extensions.
The objects most at risk of a 6-magnitude earthquake are those before the 1960s.
Security increased after the 1990s where technology was no longer based on retaining walls, but columns and beams were used, where building resistance depends of course on the quality of materials.
There is a Eurocode in the quality and characteristics of the iron and concrete used for the construction of tall buildings.
It also depends on how well their connection is. Unfortunately, we still rely on the legal standards of seismology adopted in 1989.

What should we have in mind to consider a building safe during earthquake?

What do we need to have money to consider a safe building? First, the problem lies in attaching the walls to columns and retaining beams.
Mostly this procedure requires a more tedious and detailed job. It happens (intolerable) to not have the right interest by workers.
Anti-seismic bands have to install that attach to the walls using 15, 20, 25 cm relays.

The poor quality of concrete, iron or the placement of iron bars in large spacing columns creates problems in structure.
The concrete itself as the material is soft and can suffer damage during earthquakes.
To reinforce it, rods are with a small space between them to create better compression.
In this way the structure retains the natural weight of the building and resists vertical/horizontal oscillations that create the earthquake without breaking, cracking or crushing the bearing columns.

Also at risk are irregular structures of buildings, those with abstract shapes or extensions.
Buildings that have empty spaces for covered garages and held in thin columns also risk more.
All the more so if these retaining columns interfered to create spaces on the first floors, as was, unfortunately, the case in the Durres building where it was intervened to open the premises. Today, that building has collapsed.

The roof! Important enough not to disconnect during earthquake shocks.
Their connection to beams and columns should be as solid as possible.
And if the cracks are plastered, this does not pose a threat to the building or the lives of the people, but the connection of the elements to each other is the case.

Conclusion

And beyond what happened, we suffered the damage. What we need to keep in mind is to take action so that there are no repetitions of events like that of November 26th.
So be careful not to save on construction, as it will pay dearly in the future.
Take a closer look at European building standards, which are significantly better in this area.
Use lighter-weight materials to extend the life of buildings by at least 80 to 100 years.

We can mention such as silicone, carbon fiber, glass or plastic in combination with each other.  They also have the properties of resilience and conductivity for seismic oscillations.
In this way, the building will move at the rate of oscillations, without detachment of the solid elements which mainly go in the opposite direction to the seismic motion due to the law of the moment.

We hope that with the information above, we will help you a little bit to figure out which building is right for you to make your investment.
We wish we were no longer witnesses of human irresponsibility, for by nature we have been taught to coexist for centuries.
Durres and all other areas will be rebuilt, only this time we wish to build on solid foundations and without additional floors that conflict with any natural force or scientific law.
If you are looking to rent or buy an apartment in Albania in this moment, contact Homeland Real Estate to help you find the right one!