Building Irregularities According to Regulations of Different Countries

As earthquakes are natural disasters that can occur anywhere in the world, many countries have tried various measures to minimize the damage caused by them. They have imposed certain restrictions on architectural designs and adopted earthquake regulations appropriate to their own social and economic conditions, the seismic activity of the region and its proximity to active fault lines, architectural design traditions and technological developments in the construction sector, with the aim of designing earthquake-resistant structures. Some underdeveloped or developing countries implement the regulations created by developed countries within their countries. Many countries have approached the concept of structural irregularity, which is one of the issues that most affects the architectural design process in earthquake regulations, from different perspectives. In this study, in addition to the current Turkish Building Earthquake Regulation in force in the country, the perspectives of other countries such as America, Mexico, India, and Argentina on the concept of structural irregularity in earthquake regulations were examined. These countries provide explanations with special visuals in their regulations, allowing designers to understand the subject more easily and simply. The major earthquakes and destruction that occurred in these countries and their neighbouring countries played an active role in the preparation process of the regulation. As a result, the approaches of countries to structural irregularity in earthquake regulations were compared, and the effects of geographical conditions on architectural design were examined.