Depending on the region where you live, your home runs a real risk of earthquakes.

More than 600 earthquakes are recorded each year in France, of which about fifteen are strong enough to be felt by the population and cause damage or even threaten the structure of buildings.

The Alps, Provence, the Pyrenees, the Rhine as well as Guadeloupe and Martinique are the areas most affected by these natural disasters.

In order to limit their consequences as much as possible and to preserve human lives, the architects have developed preventive measures allowing homes to be both more solid and to deform without collapsing.

What planning and construction rules is your home subject to?

What precautions should you take to protect yourself?

The standard in force

In order for homes to resist earthquakes, in 2011 France adopted new anti-seismic regulations (PS-MI 89 revised 92) relating to new homes.

First element to take into account: the area where the construction is located.

Depending on the seismicity of the latter (classified from 1 to 5 on the French territory, the latter category mainly concerning the West Indies), different measures will have to be applied.

A geotechnical study must also be planned to ensure the stability of the ground and prevent possible subsidence or landslides, which will determine the depth and anchoring of the foundations.

You can consult the seismic zoning map for your municipality on the planseisme.fr website.

Care taken in construction

Then, when designing the building, it is recommended to favor simple shapes in plan and elevation, with a preferably rectangular house and limited setbacks. The building must also be divided into homogeneous blocks by continuous seismic joints. The number of floors, the smoothness and slenderness of the building must meet the criteria required in the defined seismic zone.


Finally, when building a new home, the choice of high quality materials and their assembly will be crucial, again dictated by standards. Non-structural elements that may represent a risk for the safety of residents, such as chimneys, false ceilings, partitions or balconies, are also subject to certain dimensions.

On the other hand, with regard to the existing buildings, there is no obligation at present, except when they are the subject of work that could weaken their structure.

As for the verandah type extensions, they are treated as a new building.

Be aware that non-compliance with regulations engages the responsibility of the contracting authorities and exposes them to criminal penalties.

The cost of a seismic construction

On average, compliance with earthquake-resistant standards represents between 0.5% and 2% of the total shell for single-family homes.

The sooner the seismic risk is taken into account, the lower the bill will be.

However, their cost remains significantly lower than that of repairs and material damage - and even human - that an earthquake can cause.

You should also know that you can benefit from aid, in particular from the regional council, which can amount to 14,000 euros depending on your area of ​​residence.

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Taiwan ball

Often inspired by ancestral techniques, the architects have developed processes allowing the tallest buildings to resist shocks.

For example, the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan has a 660-ton ball in its center that oscillates like a pendulum in order to dissipate the energy of earthquakes and dampen shocks.

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