Engineers in California have unleashed high-intensity artificial earthquakes on a five-storey building packed with medical equipment. The mock hospital has been built on a giant "shake table" which can subject the building to movements similar to real earthquakes. The tests are designed to determine if hospitals built on rubber bearings could function after a quake. The use of these rubber bearings is common in earthquake-prone Japan. The $5m project also tested whether the bearings could protect other strategically important buildings, such as computer data centers, so they could operate without interruption after a large earthquake. It is the first time that the bearing system has been tested under a full-scale building on a shake table in the United States. "What the bearings do is uncouple the building from the motion of the ground during an earthquake, like putting the building on roller skates," said Tara Hutchinson, an engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego. She said that while most research concentrated on the structural integrity of buildings after an earthquake, very little examined how vital contents such as stairs, lifts and other parts of a building that allowed it to fulfill its function fared after a major seismic event. The building was equipped with a surgery and an intensive-care unit, computer servers and other electrical equipment, as well as stairs and a working lift. The 80ft (24m) structure was also clad in precast concrete and synthetic stucco, two materials which are commonly used in commercial construction projects, and a large water tower and a heating and air-conditioning system was installed on the roof. On the first day of testing in early April, the shake table subjected the building to identical motions to those recorded during the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, and the 8.8-magnitude Chile earthquake in 2010. The engineers found that the rubber bearings (or "base isolators") successfully protected the building from most of the damaging lateral motion that it would experience during a real earthquake. It also left lifts, stairs, medical equipment and other machinery intact, although there was some minor cosmetic damage. "What we found is that the contents of the building carried on working after our 'earthquakes'," said Professor Hutchinson. "If the equipment had been life-support systems keeping real people alive, then the bearings would have saved their lives." Engineers have now removed the base isolators from beneath the building, and over the next three weeks Professor Hutchinson will repeat the simulated earthquakes so that a direct comparison can be made between the damage to the building's contents with and without them in place. Rubber base isolators have already been retrofitted under the Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco city halls.

As reported hurriyetdailynews, Turkey's Parliament has approved a law that eases restrictions on the sale of land and real estate to foreign citizens and firms despite harsh objections from opposition parties. The bill, approved late May 3, most notably removes the condition of reciprocity and increases the total amount of real property that a foreigner can own from 25,000 square meters to 300,000 square meters in all of Turkey. "Countries that allow foreign [real estate] purchases without requiring reciprocity are the world's strongest countries in terms of economy and democracy," Environment and Urban Affairs Minister Erdo?an Bayraktar said during the debate in Parliament. The reciprocity principle means a foreign citizen or firm is allowed to obtain property only if a Turkish citizen or firm can do the same in that person's country of origin. Foreign nationals, legal entities, and local firms that are at least 50 percent owned by international enterprises will have the right to own real estate and limited real property rights in Turkey, according to the approved law. Under the new law, which needs presidential approval to take effect, the amount of property owned by foreigners in a given district cannot exceed 10 percent of the privcately owned real estate there. The total area of the property that a foreigner can own in the country is limited to 300,000 square meters, but the Cabinet is authorized to double that amount. Citizens of countries the Cabinet determines to be eligible will be able to acquire property in Turkey. The new law abolishes the requirement of approval from the Foreign Ministry for property sales to foreigners. The Cabinet is authorized to limit, prohibit or determine the places in which foreign individuals or companies from certain countries may acquire land and real rights in terms of amount, area, type, quality, ratio, period, or geographical region. Under the current law, foreigners can only possess residence and business sites. Commercial companies established in foreign countries will only be able to obtain real estate and limited rights under the scope of a special code, the law says. The purchase of property by foreign firms in military zones or special security areas would be subject to the permission of the General Staff and provincial governors, respectively. Foreign buyers of land would be required to present within two years the project for which the plot would be used. Once the relevant ministry approves the project, the local authorities would monitor whether it is completed in time. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has argued that some provisions in the bill are unconstitutional and signaled it may ask the Constitutional Court to scrap the legislation.

As reported by inhabitat.com, today Japan will become completely nuclear free for the first time since 1970 as it shuts down the Tomari nuclear reactor on the island of Hokkaido. One by one the country's 54 nuclear reactors have been shuttered for maintenance, but they have not reopened because of the public's fears over their safety. Anti-nuclear demonstrators plan on celebrating Tomari's shutdown, but one consequence Japan faces is a 15 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions because of its increased reliance on fossil fuels. Nuclear power provided Japan with about 30 percent of its electricity needs before the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed over 16,000 people and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. As additional nuclear power plants were closed last year, Japan endured its hot and humid summer by running factories on nights and weekends while office workers relied on fans instead of air conditioning to keep cool. But despite nationwide conservation efforts, Japan still suffered from a massive shortage of electricity, so power plants running on oil and natural gas stepped in to meet the country's energy needs. As a result Japan will produce an additional 180 million to 210 million tons of emissions this year. The increasing reliance on fossil fuels has not only challenged Japan's emission targets, but also affects Japan's export-driven economy. For the first time in over 30 years, Japan rung up a trade deficit this year because energy companies and utilities spent billions on oil and gas imports to meet the continued demand for power. Japan's government is trying to convince the public that nuclear energy still has a future, but citizens are still skeptical about its safety. A recent poll showed about 60 percent of the public opposed the government's wish to reopen two nuclear reactors in western Japan. Local officials have been especially vocal in their opposition to restarting nuclear plants in their cities and towns unless Japan's central government can provide assurances beyond what is currently required by law. Meanwhile Japan's economy is still stagnant, and the country's options are limited. Renewable energy options like solar only make up one percent of the country's overall energy portfolio, despite several ambitious projects that are currently in the planning stage.

As reported news.am, the Technopark building with total floor area 6500 square meters is planned to be build in Gyumri city's technological zone, Armenian Economy Minister's advisor Vahe Danielyan told to reporters on April 26. With the bid price 1.67 billion AMD ($US 4.3 million), two construction companies, Bagramyanshin and Akhuryan Koopshin, won the Government invited tender. As per Danielyan, the construction will last eighteen months. About twenty companies will operate in the new technological center. The latter will have laboratories, an educational center, and business infrastructures. Next to Technopark, D-Link International Pte Ltd, a worldwide leader in designing and manufacturing of networking, broadband and digital electronics, also plan to build its regional office.

Construction has begun on the Foster + Partners-designed Art Museum in Datong's New City, in China. The distinctive 32 thousand square meters museum will be largely submerged into the ground, with the four large interconnected steel pyramids which form its roof appearing to erupt through the surface of the surrounding plaza. The dramatic, unusual structure also assists with the museum's passive energy savings, as skylights placed within the north and north-west facing pyramids allow for maximum natural light while minimizing the impact of solar heat. Since the roof dominates the Datong Art Museum, comprising 70 percent of the building's exposed surface area, Foster + Partners added double insulation to the panels of the roof. This measure further reduces energy consumption while maintaining the precise climate control required within an art museum. The relatively narrow skylights which follow the roof line of each of the four interconnected pyramids allow for maximum natural light for appreciation of the art work, as well as serving as a "beacon" for the museum, illuminating the night sky. Forming only 10 percent of the overall structure, maintenance requirements will be minimal. The earth-toned Corten steel panels which encase the visible exterior elements of the museum will naturally weather over time, enhancing the impression that the museum has somehow erupted from the cultural plaza. The smooth, sloping entrance to the museum will lead visitors in the Grand Gallery. Separate areas, including a children's gallery, group entrance lobby, cafe, restaurant are arranged within sunken court yards, again provided with focused natural light. The interior can be additionally subdivided to allow for event and exhibition appropriate usage of the space. Scheduled to open next year, the Datong Art Museum will be one of four new buildings constructed in Datong's Cultural Plaza. When complete, Datong's new quarter will be the centre of the city's cultural life, with the new museum as its 'urban room' - a dynamic space, open to everyone to meet and enjoy its different displays and activities.