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Ｂｙ　ｓｔａｆｆ　ｒｅｐｏｒｔｅｒ　ＥＴＨＥＬ　ＬＵ

WHEN the Wenchuan earthquake struck on May 12, 2008, Li Jiulin, chief engineer with the Engineer Procurement Construction Department of the National Stadium, popularly known as the Birds Nest, was performing a routine inspection of the facility. The workers at the construction site and Li Jiulin did not feel the quake, and no subsequent damage was found.

On May 13, Li Zhanjun, director of the Olympic News Center of the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee, said: “No damage of any sort has been found in the Olympic buildings,” putting to rest any fears concerning the ability of Beijings Olympic venues to resist a major shock.

Planning Averts Peril

In August 2001, one month after Chinas successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, Xie Lili, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a researcher with the China Earthquake Administration, suggested that seismic fortifications must be taken into consideration when building the Olympic venues, saying: “This issue is as important as solving the problem of environmental pollution.”

Based on internationally recognized norms, China has established construction standards for the prevention of damage by earthquakes measuring six to nine on the Richter scale. The standards vary for different areas, depending on their level of seismic intensity. Beijings buildings are required to withstand quakes of magnitude eight.

Seismic events in neighboring regions are often felt in the capital, the most serious one, as Xie Lili cited, being the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed upward of 240,000 people. In 1990, at the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Asian Games, a minor earthquake shook Beijing. Therefore, he suggested, all venues for the 2008 Games needed to be designed with that imperative in mind. His recommendations were accepted.

According to Ding Yanhui, a staff member of the Beijing Municipal Earthquake Administrations Engineering Institute, Beijings buildings fall mainly into two categories: civilian residences, and “high-rise and specialized buildings,” such as the “Birds Nest” and the “Water Cube.” In designing the “specialized type” buildings, special seismic fortifications were taken into consideration. “Like building the Three Gorges Dam, we took into account potential floods and earthquakes in the coming centuries,” she said.

Gu Yongxin, spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Earthquake Administration, said that before construction began, all the Olympic venues underwent a thorough earthquake evaluation. “The Olympic buildings can withstand at least a seismic intensity of magnitude eight. The Birds Nest, for example, will stand intact even if an earthquake equal in magnitude to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake were to strike.”

Meanwhile, the Water Cube and other Olympic buildings have all had their seismic fortification standards verified. According to the architect of the Water Cube: “As an important venue, the Water Cube has passed an expert evaluation and meets all norms for seismic resistance.”

Except for 11 newly constructed buildings, most of Beijings 31 Olympic venues were renovated on the basis of existing structures. In 1997, the State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Construction launched a demonstration project designed to enhance earthquake resistance, and the third sub-project was the evaluation and reinfocement of the existing sports venues. The Capital Gymnasium, the Workers Gymnasium, the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium and the Olympic Sports Center were all on the list of buildings slated for reinforcement.

Emergency Response

A number of earthquake monitoring stations have been set up around the Olympic venues in Beijing. The stations provide timely data on the intensity and degree of damage when an earthquake occurs. Following the Wenchuan earthquake, relevant departments evaluated whether it had affected any of the venues based on the reports of these stations. All the Olympic venues withstood the test.

In order to guarantee the safety of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing municipal government has worked out a scientific and practical monitoring, forecasting and emergency response plan to be followed during the Olympic period. According to Li Guojiang, a senior engineer with the Beijing Municipal Earthquake Administration, the emergency response plan is divided into three categories: perceivable tremors, moderately strong tremors that result in light damage, and strong tremors with severe damage.

In addition to the elaborate planning, hi-tech monitoring facilities have also been set up. Li Guojiang said that in certain key seismic monitoring stations, a Global Positioning Satellite system has been added to monitor geological changes. Meanwhile, six deep wells have been dug to monitor the water level and temperature of the fault belts. More than 20 carbon dioxide monitoring locations and more than 50 strong tremor monitoring stations have been added.

Gu Yongxin said that in designing the Olympic venues, consideration has also been taken of the need for disaster shelters and evacuation routes. Around all the Olympic venues, temporary emergency shelters have been set up, including open-air parks and green belts. Should the worst happen, these shelters would provide first aid facilities, drinking water, food and shelter. Some emergency shelters can also accommodate helicopters to transport the wounded.

Following the Wenchuan earthquake, the Beijing authorities undertook a number of measures to consolidate and repair bridges, to ensure the safety of the subway system, and to shore up roads and highways. By the end of June, all 72 of Beijings railway crossings had been upgraded with radio alarms, and 22 city bridges and 11 highway bridges had been reinforced, making Beijing a completely earthquake-proof city.