A tower for tsunami evacuation and everyday occupation.

All of the communities along the Washington coast, with their proximity to the offshore Cascadia subduction zone, are susceptible to a potential large-scale tsunami following a magnitude 9 or greater earthquake. Inundation models of such a tsunami event show that communities along the southern shoreline may have only 15 to 20 minutes to prepare for a tsunami wave that could reach up to 60 feet in height. That will likely not be sufficient warning time for communities to evacuate to high ground.

The City of Westport, situated on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Grays Harbor, is one of the first communities in the U.S. to adopt the strategy of a Vertical Evacuation Structure (VES), a centrally located tower designed to resist the force of a large-scale tsunami wave. Due to RHA’s ongoing research into the VES typology along the coastlines of Japan, our team was invited to serve as design consultants for the Westport VES.

Vertical Evacuation Structure for Westport, WA.
Westport, WA, In-Progress
Structural Engineer & Project Lead: Degenkolb Engineers
Architect: Rice Fergus Miller
Consulting Architect: Robert Hutchison Architecture
RHA Project Team: Robert Hutchison, Scott Claassen, Rachel Rubis, Xiaoxi Jiao, & Michelle Hook
Client: City of Westport