Review on seismic isolation and response control methods of buildings in Japan

This manuscript reviews seismic isolation and response control methods of buildings, which are able to make buildings resilient against earthquakes and have become popular during the last three decades in Japan. Seismic isolation is a method of protecting a building from major earthquakes by installing isolators and energy absorbing devices under the superstructure. The manuscript describes three types of laminated rubber bearings and three kinds of damping devices. Seismic isolation provides not only structural safety, but also safety and security for people and properties in the building. Seismic isolation is also used for the retrofit of historic buildings. Response control methods utilize various kinds of dampers that are installed into a building and absorb vibration energy. The manuscript explains three foremost response control dampers: the steel hysteretic damper, the viscoelastic damper and the viscous fluid damper. The effects of seismic isolation and response control methods were verified through shaking table tests, structural health monitoring and earthquake response analyses.