On Shaky Ground: An Earthquake Discovery Center for the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

The Pacific Northwest is home to several fault lines which pose a significant threat to a largely unprepared area. The region must address the challenge of designing a resilient architecture in an earthquake prone environment. Buildings should respond to their context to better connect people to their environments and react to the changing seismic landscape in a sustainable way. This thesis will be investigated through a proposal for an earthquake discovery center, an interactive space where locals and tourists alike can come to learn about the unique seismic nature of the landscape in which they reside, as well the associated risks when a large earthquake inevitably strikes.