PROBABILISTIC SEISMIC HAZARD ANALYSIS OF KATHMANDU CITY, NEPAL

Abstract: 

Kathmandu is classified as a highly earthquake prone city of Nepal. The center of Kathmandu City is located in the vicinity of ten independent seismic source zones which in reality are active faults. This creates uncertainties in the size, location and the rate of recurrence of earthquakes. Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis provides a framework in which these uncertainties can be identified, quantified and combined in a rational manner to provide a more complete picture of the seismic hazard.This study presents a PSHA of the center of Kathmandu City using the attenuation relationship given by Cornell et al (1979) in order to determine various levels of earthquake-caused ground motion that will be exceeded in a given future time period. 

The world's first INVISIBLE SKYSCRAPER

Name: Tower Infinity

Salient feature: Will be invisible at eye level during the day and will glow at night

Location: Near Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea

Height: 450m or 1476ft

Site area: 110,400 sq m

Total area: 145,500 sq m (with 2000 parking stalls)

Designer: GDS Architects, US

Owner/Developer: Korea Land Corporation and Cheongna Organization

Completion year: 2014

Building type: Commercial

Purpose: It will house restaurants, 4D movie theatre, 3 observation decks, a roller coaster and a water park

Technology behind the illusion of invisibility:

The tower will be covered with LED screens which can project digital images. 18 weather proof cameras will be placed at 3 different heights on the 6 sides of the buildings to capture real tiny images of the building surroundings. The images will be processed and merged to create a seamless panoramic image that is projected on the LED screens creating the illusion of invisibility.