Research on structural stability of the traditional timber houses in Bursa-Turkey

Abstract

Bursa has been exposed to many destructive earthquakes throughout the history; however, the traditional timber structural buildings are able to survive without significant damage until today. In this context, deteriorated, damaged and in good condition timber structure buildings which are located in various towns and villages of Bursa were examined in terms of construction systems, irregularities in plans and elevations, load bearing elements, cantilevers, material properties and the level of damages. In this study the researchers tried to find out the structural stability of these buildings by comparing their structural features obtained from the damaged and non damaged houses.As a result of the studies and investigations, it was observed that thanks to the system of using different joint techniques and wall bracing systems, the use of buttresses, capitals, metal connections, adobe in the design of timber structures, they have survived to the present day.