Another Devasting Tragedy : The Earthquake in South Asia

Just when we thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, after the tsunami at the beginning of the year that claimed over 200,000 lives in South Asia and then the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast in August, comes yet another devastating tragedy. The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan and parts of India and Afghanistan on October 8 has claimed over 23,000 lives so far, and ravaged the homes and livelihoods of thousands more. As we continue with the task of rebuilding the homes, neighborhoods, villages, and cities that continue to be devastated by earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural and man-made disasters, it is with the sobering realization that even if technological aids are available to better design structures capable of withstanding such disasters, it will be a long time before they are accessible to the people who need them the most. Technology vendors need to work not only on improving their products but also on ensuring that they are made available to practitioners around the globe, at prices that are in sync with the local currency. Let's hope that when the devastated areas of South Asia are re-built, they have access to the same technological aids and expertise that will be available in the re-building of New Orleans and other hurricane-ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast of the US.

Just one day before the earthquake struck South Asia last week, @Last Software, makers of SketchUp, wrapped up its first user conference, dubbed the "3D Base Camp." I had the opportunity to attend this event, and the highlights of the sessions as well as my overall impressions of the conference are captured in AECbytes Newsletter #23. Devoid of executive speeches and corporate presentations, the focus of the conference was solely on the technology and its users, allowing attendees insights into the future development of the application and giving the company a chance to interact with the users and find out what they would like to have in SketchUp.

Also on the agenda for this month is a second Viewpoint article by Paul Seletsky, who has some new insights to share after taking on the position of Digital Design Director for the office of Skidmore Owings and Merrill in New York; and an update on the ground-breaking CORENET e-PlanCheck, Singapore's automated code-checking system that is inspiring similar initiatives in other cities of the world. It is developments such as these which will ensure that future cities are built according to strict code requirements, reducing the kind of devastation that South Asia is now seeing following the earthquake with most buildings not built to code.

Thank you
Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > October 2005