EARTHQUAKES

Ground shaking lasting sometimes for just a few seconds to up to over one minute affect construction that is not capable of handling the sway induced by these lateral vibrations. Mostly rigid structures with high center of gravity are subject to huge stresses at connector areas.Masonry construction is the first victim whereas lightweight steel of wood construction with adequate connector reinforcement can handle these exceptional stresses quite well.
Archimede systems has 3 great assets for earthquakes, whether on high columns or on a ground slab:

1. A system of shear walls oriented in three axis vs only two, as with orthogonal construction with right angle wall intersections.
2. Lightweight rigid construction where stresses and strains are distributed throughout the entire envelope.
3. Steel or concrete columns long enough to absorb most of the horizontal sway, thus protecting the shell held above (valid for stilt construction Archimede solutions).

TSUNAMI 'FLOATING SOLUTION'

Although this house was designed for a flooding site, it could handle most tsunamis with its rigidity and steel clad paneled underbelly at a high stance. For the much less probable tsunamis that could rise above the door sills and create massive amounts of floating debris, we suggest soluble bolt anchors on top of each column. This way the house will float as a rigid unit capable of taking a lot of hits and yet remain safe. Of course a solid chain would tether it to a reliable point on the ground. This is not a compromise as both safety and practicality are maintained in a relatively low-cost house.