First hospital with seismic isolation in Mexico City
Mexico City. The subsoil underneath Mexico City can be imagined as a giant piece of Jell-O: it magnifies seismic shocks. For this reason, a hospital in the 9-million metropolis was equipped with a special seismic isolation made of elastomeric bearings for the first time. With its extensive know-how, MAURER was already involved in the planning phase and supplied 243 isolators, mainly lead rubber bearings.
The main hospital in the southeastern district of Tláhuac was officially inaugurated on December 19, 2020 and immediately admitted 120 Covid-19 patients. It features five stories with 250 beds on a floor area of 33,000m². Due to the special, rather soft subsoil, the building could not be built any higher.
Mexico City is not located in the immediate vicinity of a seismic focus; however, it was built on a former lake. The subsoil consists of clay with very high water content, which magnifies the shockwaves. Even mid-level earthquakes cause damages in the city, which are more severe than those in the surroundings.
