Celebrated every first Monday of October, World Architecture Day directs a valuable spotlight on the built environment and its impact on humankind. This year’s theme, “Design for Strength,” anchors on one of three essential principles of architecture as described by the ancient Roman architect and writer Vitruvius -- Firmitas, which means strength. The other two are Venustas (elegancy or beauty) and Utilitas (usefulness)
Natural disasters often test this aspect of architectural design and gauge just how structurally safe the buildings around are. The more frequent floods during heavy rains and the recent earthquake that struck Cebu and neighboring areas further underscore the need to go beyond mere aesthetics. The widening scope of the design of houses and residential projects has become magnified with not just various conditions in specific regions of the world, but also due to a changing climate. Safety in times of a disaster, and after, is a top priority in residential design aside from the provision of “roofs over our heads.”
After the earthquake that hit Cebu on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, you might need to check on some elements of your house to see if it is safe to go inside. Take note that the harm of such a disaster to people does not lie in the actual shaking, but in the implications of such shaking on buildings that cause them to fail structurally, endangering the users of the building.
1. Stay out of your house when it is already severely damaged. Collapsed wall parts and upper floors, toppled columns and posts and huge fallen debris should already give you a hint that it is not wise to go inside the house. There might be other parts inside that are just about to fall that might cause serious injury.
2. Check on the main structural members of the house, which are the beams and columns. Together with the building foundations, such as columns and wall footings, these parts hold the entire building together and keep it in place. If there is visible damage already in them, then it might not be safe to stay inside.
3. Even buildings with no apparent damage can be unsafe. Check the exterior of the building for cracks. Are they just hairline cracks, which are thin and shallow cracks on the outer surface, or structural cracks that may indicate serious issues in the building’s foundation? In a documentary produced by Taiwan News last year, civil engineers warned about X-shaped cracks on concrete columns, often followed by the protective layer falling off. This is one sign that you should immediately call for experts to inspect your house.
4. For upper floors, you may want to check for the floor slabs. There are cases when there are checkerboard cracks on them, which may indicate further damage with continued seepage of moisture that corrodes the reinforcing bars within. Floor slabs with these conditions may collapse at any time, most especially after a strong earthquake. Possible damage on the floor, like significant tilting, may be tested by putting a marble or ball on the floor and observing its movement.
5. Check the doors and windows. There may be loose and dislocated parts like glass panels, transoms and jambs that may fall anytime. Always be careful when walking near piles of debris, such as broken concrete and glass.
6. It is always safe to seek assistance from a structural engineer to check your house after an earthquake for safety precautions. Architects usually work with these engineers and other allied professions to make sure the building that they design satisfies the essential Vitruvian architectural principles for beautiful and functional structures for a safe community.