Noboru Yuasa

Safety assessment of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, Italy

In order to evaluate safety assessment of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, Italy, a series of non-destructive tests were carried out for diagnostic inspection of its deterioration. Delamination of stone finishing and fresco painting were detected. Dynamic ambient vibration test was carried out and the relevant modes of vibration were identified resorting to the stochastic subspace identification method. The first two natural frequencies of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte were estimated to be about 1.93 Hz and 2.07 Hz in East-West and North-South directions, respectively. Therefore, the dome seems to be vulnerable to severe earthquakes characteristic of the local seismicity such as we experienced in recent years.

Study on the Living Space Planning in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Part 2 : Residential and Living Environments in Apartment Complexes(Architectural/Urban Planning and Design)

Abstract This is Part 2 of our “Study on the Living Space Planning in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,” whose objective is to determine trends and characteristics in residential and living spaces of apartment complexes in urban parts of Ulaanbaatar, focusing on the relationship between the residential and living environments of apartment complexes in Ulaanbaatar and the lifestyle activities and attitudes of residents. Based on a questionnaire survey of residents and a survey of living spaces within a 500-meter radius of two apartment buildings with differing layouts, both located in urban parts of Ulaanbaatar, we determined the correlations between residents’ attitudes and their residential and living environments, as well as the conditions and characteristics of both apartment buildings. We also studied the need to plan living spaces in a way that is grounded in the intricate interrelationships among residents, activities, and spaces that are unique to Mongolia.

Full–Scale Pull–Down Tests on a Two–Storied Rammed Earth Building with Possible Strengthening Interventions

This paper reports pull–down tests performed on full–scale two–storied rammed earth (RE) buildings to assess the out–of–plane performance of RE construction in Bhutan. An innovative strengthening technique is also proposed for strength enhancement of the RE walls. The tests involved two types of specimens, an unreinforced RE structure and an identical reinforced counterpart. The pull–down load was applied on top of the facade. The strengthening strategy involved reinforced concrete sections of dowels and wedges inserted between the RE blocks at regular intervals. The wooden floor beams at the first–floor level were also anchored to the RE blocks in the reinforced specimen. Micro–tremor measurements of the structures were done prior to the pull–down tests. A maximum of 59% increment in peak pull–down load was observed for the reinforced RE specimen compared to its unreinforced counterpart. The unreinforced RE wall showed damage to a larger area of facade, whereas, the reinforced RE specimen showed damage to a relatively smaller zone with controlled failure mechanism.