NZSEE Webinar - Bangkok learnings from the Myanmar Earthquake

As some of you might have seen in the last NZSEE newsletter, a group of academics and practitioners visited Bangkok to learn from the last Myanmar earthquake. To keep learning from this experience, the next NZSEE webinar will be given by Prof. Dr. Amorn Pimanmas from Kasetsart University, Thailand.

On 28 March 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck along the Sagaing Fault in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. Although the epicenter was approximately 1,000 kilometers from Bangkok, the seismic event had a significant impact on tall buildings in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. In response to this event, the Thailand Structural Engineers Association (TSEA), initiated the Volunteer Structural Engineers Program, mobilising 660 volunteer structural engineers to conduct rapid post-earthquake assessments.

Together, we inspected approximately 145 tall buildings across Bangkok, structural damage was observed in at least ten tall buildings, primarily in elevator core walls and stair cores. Furthermore, hundreds of buildings sustained damage to non-structural components, such as brick or block partition walls.

This lecture aims to explain the recent earthquake event, the geotechnical conditions of the Bangkok area, and the currently adopted seismic design standards. It includes observations of structural damage in several tall buildings in Bangkok and discusses the collapse of the State Audit Office building, which was under construction at the time. Furthermore, the lecture will present the ongoing repair and strengthening efforts being undertaken to address structural damages in tall buildings.

Presenter:

Prof. Dr. Amorn Pimanmas is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Kasetsart University, Thailand. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 2000. His research interests include nonlinear mechanics of reinforced concrete, seismic analysis and design of buildings, and the strengthening of reinforced concrete structures. He is the co-author of the textbook "Nonlinear Mechanics of Reinforced Concrete."

Prof. Pimanmas currently serves as the President of both the Thailand Structural Engineers Association and the Thai Precast Concrete Association. He is also a member of the national committee responsible for drafting Thailand’s seismic design code.