Professor Tatsuo Suda of Kanazawa Institute of Technology conducted a demonstration experiment using a large shaking table to verify the seismic performance of an open-type aluminum earthquake-resistant shelter (developed by Tsutsumi Sash Industry Co., Ltd., Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture) for practical use. The results confirmed that the enclosure structure is capable of withstanding vibrations of the magnitude of a massive earthquake.
In recent years, earthquakes have occurred one after another throughout Japan, and there has been a growing call for preparedness for massive earthquakes. In 2022, the research group conducted vibration tests on a closed-type aluminum earthquake-resistant shelter that is also fire-resistant, and confirmed that the enclosure structure is capable of withstanding vibrations from earthquakes of the same magnitude as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
The newly developed open-type aluminum earthquake-resistant shelter reflects customer needs by focusing on weight reduction. It uses cross-laminated timber (CLT), a wood-based material, for the walls, and has openings in the center of all four sides for rapid evacuation, achieving a 50% weight reduction (half the weight) compared to closed-type shelters.
This open-type shelter, like the closed-type, can be installed inside houses such as wooden houses. Vibration tests were conducted over a total of six days in July 2026, and the shelter was tested under the same conditions as the closed-type, with a 2-ton load placed on the roof to simulate snowfall in a heavy snowfall area.
In the experiment, the seismic resistance performance was verified using a total of four types of massive earthquakes, including the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (Hashide), the Kumamoto Earthquake (Mashiki Town), the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tsukidate), and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe), which had been tested in a closed-type enclosure. As a result, it was confirmed that the enclosure structure is able to withstand all of these types of vibrations.
This earthquake-resistant shelter, when installed inside a wooden house, allows for immediate evacuation during a major earthquake even in existing older homes, and is said to contribute to building a "society resilient to natural disasters," which is the goal of the United Nations' SDGs.
