SANTO DOMINGO.– The Dominican Republic will host the “Sixth Seismic Model Code Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean” this week, from July 26 to 28, 2023, bringing together experts in seismology and seismic engineering from 15 countries.
The meeting, which will take place at the Barceló hotel, will also bring together prominent authorities from the area, with the aim of creating strategic alliances to strengthen seismic safety in the region.
“Earthquakes pose a significant threat in our region, so having adequate measures in place to mitigate their impacts is essential. The Model Seismic Code has been developed with the objective of establishing construction standards and guidelines that reduce seismic risks and guarantee the safety of both people and structures in the event of earthquakes,” stated the National Office for Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (ONESVIE), the event's organizing entity, in a press release.
Leonardo Reyes Madera, the entity's general director, explained that the meeting aims to unify the region's criteria on seismic evaluation and housing under the Seismic Model Code, in order to determine basic guidelines that must be met in a seismic hazard zone, so that buildings are safe.
He explained that the event will allow the country to hear about the experiences of other nations that have implemented the Code, such as Mexico. "This is a learning process; four countries have already adopted the Code, so they will tell us how they did it because we want to do it too," he stated.
"What this Model Code aims to do, more than anything, is to address what is called performance-based design. What does that mean? It means that when a developer is going to sell you an apartment, you will be able to ask them, 'What levels of damage is this building designed to withstand? Can I continue living in it?'" Reyes Madera explained to the newspaper Diario Libre.
Inaugural program
The first day of the event will have a formal ceremony where Reyes Madera will give the welcoming remarks; Rodolfo Saragoni, president of the CMS AL&EC Permanent Commission of Chile, will speak; the CMS AL&EC vice presidents, Miguel Cruz, from Costa Rica; and Héctor O Reilly, will address the audience; while the main speech will be given by the Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención.
José Pedro Campos, from the Permanent Commission of the Construction Institute of Chile, will explain the content of the first day's program.
Organization
The organization of the event is under the responsibility of Onesvie, with the support of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC); and the sponsorship of the Ministry of Housing and Buildings (MIVED).
Internationally, it is coordinated by the Chilean Construction Institute and the Permanent Committee of the Seismic Model Code for Latin America and the Caribbean (CMS AL and EC).
Furthermore, it is celebrated thanks to the contribution of the Dominican Society of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (SODOSISMICA), the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the National Center for Seismology (CNS), the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), the Society of Architects of the Dominican Republic (SARD) and the Dominican Association of Housing Builders and Promoters (ACOPROVI).
