For once it was Israel’s environmental stability rather than political stability which was on the agenda at a breakfast briefing on Friday morning with the Technion’s geotechnical expert Sam Frydman. The stability of the Temple Mount Area, the emergence of sinkholes in the Dead Sea area and the threat of earthquakes in the region left guests captivated at the event which was hosted by Bank Hapoalim International’s offices in London.

During his talk, Professor Frydman explained the history of earthquakes in Israel, with catastrophic earthquakes taking place roughly every 80 years, the last large earthquake occurring in 1927. Prior to 1927, all buildings in Jerusalem were made of Jerusalem stone but as a result of the destruction the earthquake caused, a new law was introduced which requires all new structures to be built using reinforced concrete,  and faced with Jerusalem stone. Due to the frequency of earthquakes in the region, the Technion is currently carrying out extensive earthquake engineering research including experiments on a ‘shaking table’ which simulates the motion of earthquakes. This enables the Technion experts to gain a greater understanding of the way in which different structures would respond to seismic movement.

Professor Frydman also discussed concerns which arose in 1968 about possible  instability of the Temple Mount area and fears that excavations adjacent to the Western and Southern Walls might lead to the walls moving. However, a team from the Technion  carried out analyses, model tests and simulations, and, as a result, placed concrete supports against the Southern wall near its corner with the Western wall, to prevent any future movement.

Tony Bernstein, Executive Director of the British Technion Society thanked BHI for hosting the business breakfast and said: “Professor Frydman’s talk was absolutely fascinating.  Many of us were not aware of these potential engineering hazards in Israel, particularly relating to earthquakes but I am hopeful that the work being carried out at the Technion will help to reduce the devastation they could cause in the future.”