Iconic Architectural Forms Enabled by Base-Isolation

As building trends move to integrate façade architecture and structure, collaboration between architects and structural engineers has produced a number of novel buildings. In earthquake-prone countries such as Japan, however, where considerations such as earthquake load dominate design, structural engineers must often make difficult design decisions in meeting the requirements of building owners and architects. This article introduces the Prada Boutique Aoyama building project integrating façade and structure concepts while implementing earthquake-robust base isolation.