Ruby Tower
Ruby Tower | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Commercial/residential |
Location | Doroteo Jose and Teodora Alonso Streets, Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines |
Coordinates | 14°36′20″N 120°58′47″E / 14.60556°N 120.97972°E |
Completed | 1965–1967 |
Destroyed | August 2, 1968 |
Height | 20.5 m (67 ft) |
Dimensions | |
Other dimensions | 45.5 m × 30 m (149 ft × 98 ft) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 6 |
Known for | Collapse in 1968 Casiguran earthquake |
The Ruby Tower was a six-story building in Manila, Philippines, completed c. 1965[a] that collapsed on August 2, 1968, during the Casiguran earthquake killing over 250 people.
Background
The building, constructed at a cost of $250,000,
Collapse and rescue effort
The 7.3-magnitude
A part of the northern end of the floors one and two remained standing. The lower levels collapsed straight downward, while the upper floors shifted south as they collapsed, with the roof shifting 30 feet (9.1 m) south and 10 feet (3.0 m) east of its original location.[5] Its long columns buckled in the earthquake.
By August 4, Philippine soldiers and heavy construction equipment were in use.
Around 3,000 rescuers, including soldiers and civilians, worked daily, all coordinated by Brigadier General Gaudencio Tobias of the
The
The deaths in the collapse accounted for the majority of all deaths in the earthquake,[8] causing the Casiguran earthquake to be alternatively called the Ruby Tower earthquake.[9]
Analysis and legacy
The collapse was attributed to the design, poor workmanship and concrete quality.
After the collapse of Ruby Tower, the Philippines created the National Committee on Disaster Operation (NCDO), predecessor of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), setting minimum standards for building construction. The first national building code was established in 1972 by the Republic Act 6541, An Act to Ordain and Institute a National Building Code of the Philippines. Five years later, it became the National Building Code of the Philippines by order of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.[11][d]
Memorial
The Ruby Tower Memorial Hall is a two-story structure on the site, made from the portion of the building that remained standing, where the victims are remembered. Built in 1974, the shrine includes 100 black and white photographs of people killed in the collapse.[3]
See also
- Ruby Tower Memorial, a memorial in Manila Chinese Cemetery
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Whitman, Ens G. J. (November 1968). "Rumy Tower Disaster". Navy Civil Engineer. IX (11). Washington, D.C.: The United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps and the Facilities Engineering Command: 24–25. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Quake jams hospitals in Philippines". United Press International. August 2, 1968. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Moya, George P. (July 2, 2014). "When an earthquake hits Metro Manila". Rappler.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Flores, A. R., The Luzon Earthquakes of August 2, 1968 and April 7, 1970 (PDF), United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
- ^ a b c d "Casiguran earthquake". phivolcs.dost.gov.ph. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Magnitude 7.6 Strong Earthquake Hits Philippines". gettyimages. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Luci-Atienza, Charissa; Cahiles-Magkilat, Bernie (April 28, 2019). "The Ruby Tower". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Martin, M G (August 1, 2018). "'Big one' quake warning marks 50 years since Manila tower tragedy". philippineslifestyle.com. Philippines Lifestyle News. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Delacruz, Manzel. "Living in Eqrthquake Country". positivelyphilipino.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Aftershocks". pwc.com. PWC Philippines. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Today in Philippine history, August 2, 1968, a 7.3 earthquake hit Casiguran, collapsed buildings in Manila". kahimyang.com. July 31, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Part 2: What makes buildings earthquake-ready?". aseponline.org. Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- Media related to Ruby Tower at Wikimedia Commons