Reducing vibrations caused by earthquakes
and strong winds
Hybrid TASS Method
In the wake of the Great Hanshin Awaji
Earthquake of 1995, major construction companies in
Japan have been working to develop seismic isolation
construction methods as part of their efforts to offer
earthquake resistant buildings. The Hybrid Taisei Shake
Suspension System (TASS) combines Taiseifs proprietary
laminated rubber and sliding mechanism to significantly
reduce seismic force. Laminated rubber is a powerful
defense against pitching motions caused by earthquakes,
and has the effect of lengthening seismic waves through
buildings. The sliding mechanism absorbs horizontal
seismic force in the form of friction energy in a sliding
motion.
Seismic isolation technology developed by Taisei has
been applied in high-rise buildings, as well. Taisei
has won high praise for its development and implementation
of this technology and was awarded a 2004 AIJ (Architectural
Institute of Japan) Prize (Building Engineering Division)
for its efforts.
With a total of 41 floors, and a
height of 135 meters, this building is
the largest residential complex (at
time of completion) made of
reinforced concrete and with a
seismic isolation system. By using
the hybrid TASS construction
method Taisei is able to make safe
yet luxurious and high quality
skyscrapers complete with seismic
isolation systems at comparatively
low-costs.
*Thousand Tower: The entire Shinkawasaki
project has been named
Thousand City, and building no. 1,
the skyscraper, is called the
Thousand Tower.
Steel
dampers
Sliding
mechanism
Natural
rubber-based laminated rubber mechanism
Responding to Demands for High Earthquake and Fire
Resistance and Excellent Durability
Ultra high strength Concrete-
TAISEI has developed the pre-blend binder
for ultra high strength concretes, and has established
the technology on production of ultra high-strength
concrete with the specified design strength of 80-150MPa.
It has been proved by the experiments that the structure
members using these concretes have good earthquake resistance,
good fire resistance, and good durability. Taisei has
also developed a high-quality production management
method for ultra high-strength concrete based on a method
for swiftly measuring the unit water content of fresh
concrete.
In Japan, this technology has been already applied to
about ten high-rise buildings, and has obtained high
satisfaction and high reliance of many customers. Based
on such an actual result, this technology has won many
technical awards in Japan Concrete Institute, the Architectural
Institute of Japan, the Society of Materials Science,
Japan, etc.
Taisei has introduced the advanced concrete technology
not only domestically but also internationally at venues
such as the triennial International Symposium on Utilization
of High-Strength/ High- Performance Concrete, which
has been held in the UK, Germany, and Norway.
