For my extended project I intend to do a comparative study on the way in which two different cities have dealt with an earthquake. I will carry out research on two cities, one will be the recent earthquake in Japan and I haven't decided the other- I will have to do some prior research in the best example to compare to Japan. I will research how the buildings survived- or did not survive, and then how the city resolved it's devastation. Firstly I will research earthquake resistant buildings in order to have a better understanding of how and why the buildings survived and/or failed structurally. There are many sources I can use for my research; books, a specialist engineer from Arup, the Internet.I intend mainly to learn about how earthquake resistant buildings work structurally, and how to improve those that don't. I am hoping that by comparing two different cities i will learn the most effective structures for earthquake resistance and how to overcome the unexpected magnitudes of earthquakes and their aftermath- something I hope i will be able to be involved in one day.
I intend to write an essay on the comparison between the two cities, this will help me develop my essay writing skills, a weakness of mine. Furthermore I want to develop my research skills, and my ability to work independently. These will be important skills to develop before starting university.
