There is a saying that, “Earthquakes don’t kill people, but buildings do.” It seems sadly true. Tens of thousands of people died under bricks（砖）of the damaged（毁坏的）buildings in Turkiye and Syria during the recent earthquakes. Is there a way to build earthquake-proof buildings? Engineers have some life-saving ideas.
To prevent earthquake waves from going through the building, one way is to “lift” the building’s foundation（地基）above the ground. The building can be built on top of pads（热状物）, which are usually made up of steel and rubber （橡胶）. During earthquakes, only the pads move and the building stays steady.
Earthquake proof materials must be easy to ben（弯曲）without breaking. Some of these materials include steel, wood（合金）and bamboo. In Japan, most traditional houses are built with wood instead of concrete（混凝土）, wooden buildings bend to avoid building up stress.
Triangles（三角形）are very strong shapes. When a force comes to one of the corners of a triangle, it will be reduced by going down each side. When the two sides of the triangle are squeezed（挤压）), they lean（倾斜）on each other. During earthquakes, triangles can hold the building together when it shakes. Many earthquake-proof buildings use this shape in the design, both inside and outside the structure.
US company Arx Pax is developing magnetic field（磁场）technology that can raise houses above ground when earthquakes happen. When the sensors in the home feel earthquakes, they will tell “hover engines（悬停引繁）”. These will create an opposing（相反的）magnetic field to lift the house off the ground. Maglev trains use similar technology, so the company believes it can be used in buildings as well.
Japanese company Japan Dome House has made dome shaped（四顶状的）houses with Styrofoam（泡沫塑料）. Styrofoam is a very light material. The whole house weighs only 80 kilograms. So when earthquakes happen, the house will not hurt people.
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