Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) students are intensively preparing for the "Earthquake-Resistant Structure Design Competition," which will take place in San Francisco, United States. Representing Türkiye in such a prestigious international competition, the students expressed their excitement and awareness of their responsibility.

In this competition, which will feature leading universities worldwide, the “EERI OMU” team, consisting of OMU Civil Engineering and Architecture Faculty students, will represent Türkiye. With just one month left until the start of the competition, the team has accelerated their preparations, aiming to design an earthquake-resistant structure and secure a top ranking.

"The Buildings Will Be Exposed to the Kobe Earthquake"

The team’s academic advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Fatih Yılmaz from OMU Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Structural Division, provided insights into the competition process and the students' efforts.

"We take great pride and joy in earning the right to represent Türkiye in this prestigious competition. Our students have dedicated significant effort to this achievement. We had previously participated in a similar competition organized in Türkiye by DASK. After competing in 2022 and 2024, we secured participation in both the 2025 DASK competition in Türkiye and the Earthquake-Resistant Structure Design Competition in the U.S."

Explaining the challenges set by the competition, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yılmaz continued:

"In the initial phase, we were given a specific design problem. This year’s task requires designing a 20-story building with structural irregularities, including three to four-story gaps within its structure. The designed building will then be subjected to the same seismic forces as the 1995 Kobe Earthquake in Japan, which caused massive destruction. The goal is to produce a structure that can withstand this earthquake."

Outlining their design approach, he added:

"First, we conducted numerical analyses of the structure. Our students then worked on architectural design and functional usability aspects. We submitted our prepared presentation to the competition committee in the U.S. and successfully passed the preliminary selection. We are now in the model construction phase. With just one month remaining, we expect our students to complete the physical model within two weeks."

OMU Team Prepares to Represent Türkiye on the International Stage

The students emphasized their awareness of the responsibility that comes with competing at an international level, expressing their determination to represent Türkiye in the best possible way.

Their intensive preparations for the competition are ongoing at full speed.