On March 2025, a 7.7 Magnitude earthquake struck the Sagaing Region in Myanmar, extensively damaging region city with the aftershocks causing significant damage in neighboring Thailand where a 33-storey skyscraper under-construction collapsed and came crumbling to the ground. The city of Yunnan in China and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam also experienced the effects with hundreds of homes and apartments being affected. This marks the most powerful earthquake to strike Myanmar in over 100 years. In January 2024 Japan also experienced a magnitude 7.6 earthquake which saw the collapse of more than 200 buildings collapsing and the partial collapsing of more than 2000 buildings. This series of events in the past 24 months, serves as a compelling wake-up call for developers and builders to prioritize seismic resistance in their projects.

While every seismic event is unique, comparisons to other global earthquakes, the February 2023 earthquakes that hit Syria & Turkey saw about 240,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed in the aftermath. Japan, while situated in a highly seismic region, boasts world-leading earthquake-resistant structures due to its stringent building codes, the devastating events that hit Turkey and Syria revealed a starkly different reality. Construction amnesties granted to at least 75,000 buildings contributed to the Urbanization Ministry’s estimate of over 84,700 structures collapsing or suffering severe damage, highlighting the critical importance of ethical and robust construction in earthquake-prone zones.”

Seismic-proof construction isn’t merely compliance; it’s a fundamental investment in human safety, financial stability, and community resilience. The 2nd Annual Seismic Resilient Structures conference grants you exclusive access to groundbreaking case studies and projects, presented by leading industry experts. Join us to build vital connections within the seismic engineering community and position yourself as a pioneer in this critical field, shaping the future of safer, stronger structures.