This was the question I heard from everyone I met during our morning walk at Mantri Synergy. Probably, some didn't believe when I told I slept through the Wednesday afternoon tremor. And, this isn't a put on, I first heard of it on TV. And then, a couple of our Mantri neighbours, who were away in the city, phone us to check out if things were okay at our end.
OMR's proximity to the coast prompted a relation of ours to suggest we moved to their apartment at Velachery, in view of tsunami warning. We can see Muthukadu Lake, and the sea beyond, from our 9th floor flat at Mantri's. Even two hours after they sounded the tsunami warning the sea appeared calm and tideless
If anyone seemed agitated and breathless with anxiety, it was some TV-wallahs reporting live from Chennai. But the papers this morning said, This time around, no wave of panic..., as if The Hindu headline writer felt let down by tsumani's failure to show up. As for tremor, seismic centre subsequently admitted that intensity of the quake wasn't as high as was feared initially, and it wasn't the type of quake that sent out tsunami waves.
This morning I watched on Puthiya Thalaimurai channel a talk-show at which they discussed Chennai's quake-readiness, as evident from the response of people and administration to Wednesday's quake and tsunami warning. A more pertinent issue for those of us living in high-rise buildings is whether Mantri and other developers have taken into account the seismic factor and wind velocity on OMR in their design and construction.
Mantri resident Gurusamy Pandiyan (A-603) may recall raising the issue one year back in Common Floor discussion forum. Chennai is in Seismic Zone III (Upto 6.9 Moderate risk). And Mantri's say Synergy is 'Seismic Zone III compliant structure'. Has anyone checked this out with developers ?
Mr Pandiyan's query and an article on wind-engineering in The Hindu prompted me to e-mail someone I knew should know about such matters.
My mail, dated March 26, 2011: Today's Hindu (Bangalore edition) carries in Property Plus section an article by K Suresh Kumar on the importance of wind engineering in high-rise buildings. The wind power, it says, could sway tall buildings. It may not be perceptible, but it can be felt by residents. I trust Mantri architects factored in the wind-load factor, height/.width ratio, considering Mantri Synergy is their first close-to-sea project, which is likely to have relatively higher wind current.
Response:
Wind flow: Our structural consultants, Chetna from Bangalore, have pointed out that since wind velocity is higher in Chennai, as compared to Bangalore and Hyderabad, the steel consumption for our structure will be relatively higher...we have ensured that our structure will stand wind of the known velocity.
Quakes resistance: We have taken into account the seismic zone requirements; and the structure can withstand earthquakes of Seismic Zone II levels, which is only a zone higher than that of Japan.
OMR's proximity to the coast prompted a relation of ours to suggest we moved to their apartment at Velachery, in view of tsunami warning. We can see Muthukadu Lake, and the sea beyond, from our 9th floor flat at Mantri's. Even two hours after they sounded the tsunami warning the sea appeared calm and tideless
This morning I watched on Puthiya Thalaimurai channel a talk-show at which they discussed Chennai's quake-readiness, as evident from the response of people and administration to Wednesday's quake and tsunami warning. A more pertinent issue for those of us living in high-rise buildings is whether Mantri and other developers have taken into account the seismic factor and wind velocity on OMR in their design and construction.
Mantri resident Gurusamy Pandiyan (A-603) may recall raising the issue one year back in Common Floor discussion forum. Chennai is in Seismic Zone III (Upto 6.9 Moderate risk). And Mantri's say Synergy is 'Seismic Zone III compliant structure'. Has anyone checked this out with developers ?
Mr Pandiyan's query and an article on wind-engineering in The Hindu prompted me to e-mail someone I knew should know about such matters.
My mail, dated March 26, 2011: Today's Hindu (Bangalore edition) carries in Property Plus section an article by K Suresh Kumar on the importance of wind engineering in high-rise buildings. The wind power, it says, could sway tall buildings. It may not be perceptible, but it can be felt by residents. I trust Mantri architects factored in the wind-load factor, height/.width ratio, considering Mantri Synergy is their first close-to-sea project, which is likely to have relatively higher wind current.
Response:
Wind flow: Our structural consultants, Chetna from Bangalore, have pointed out that since wind velocity is higher in Chennai, as compared to Bangalore and Hyderabad, the steel consumption for our structure will be relatively higher...we have ensured that our structure will stand wind of the known velocity.
Quakes resistance: We have taken into account the seismic zone requirements; and the structure can withstand earthquakes of Seismic Zone II levels, which is only a zone higher than that of Japan.
