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Nagano Lab
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A seismic engineering lab that studies earthquakes end to end, from the occurrence of an earthquake to the shaking of buildings.
AboutAbout the lab
From the source fault to how people feel the shaking inside a building.
The Nagano Lab studies how buildings shake during earthquakes, focusing on the effects of the ground.
Earthquake shaking varies greatly depending on whether the ground is soft or hard, and the interaction between the ground and a building also changes how the building moves.
In Japan, a country prone to earthquakes, a building's seismic performance is strongly affected by the ground, so the lab considers it important to clarify these effects.
The lab deals with the whole chain from the occurrence of an earthquake to how buildings shake, investigating it through observation and analysis.
Key terms
- Earthquake Disaster Belt
- The area of Kobe where casualties were concentrated in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It is attributed to seismic waves from the source fault and amplification by a step-shaped subsurface structure.
- strong-motion observation
- Observation that records shaking during earthquakes using accelerometers and similar sensors installed in buildings.
- input ground motion
- The ground motion assumed to act on a building in seismic design.
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Excellent Young Presenter Award in the Multi-Hazard Disaster Mitigation Division at the Annual Meeting of the Architectural Institute of Japan
A student received an Excellent Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japan Association for Earthquake Engineering
A student received the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award from the Architectural Institute of Japan
A student received the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award from the Architectural Institute of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
Because a building's movement during an earthquake is strongly affected by the ground, the lab focuses on ground-related problems and conducts research on earthquake-resistant design and vibration that deals with the whole process from earthquake occurrence to building shaking. It comprehensively investigates everything from the generation of seismic waves at the source fault to how people feel the shaking inside strongly shaken buildings, aiming for a future that does not yield to earthquakes.
*Illustrative imageThe Earthquake Disaster Belt and Amplification by Subsurface Structure
The "Earthquake Disaster Belt," where damage was concentrated in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, is thought to have been caused by pulse-like seismic waves from the source fault and by amplification due to a step-shaped subsurface structure. The lab compiles data on ground structure across Japan to identify locations where amplification is expected, aiming to keep damage from future major earthquakes to a minimum.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding Building Shaking Through Dense Strong-Motion Observation
Buildings behave in complex ways during earthquakes, and their characteristics can sometimes differ greatly from the models used in seismic design. The lab installs dense strong-motion observation systems inside buildings and observes them over the long term, capturing their behavior from small and moderate earthquakes to major ones, and reflects the findings in more rational evaluation of seismic performance.
*Illustrative imageIntegrated Analysis from Earthquake to Building Response
The lab aims to build a three-dimensional integrated analysis system that evaluates, through analysis, everything from slip rupture on the fault plane to seismic wave propagation, amplification by the ground, and building failure. By capturing how fault and ground conditions affect building behavior, it explores the ideal approach that should be reflected in setting input ground motions and in seismic design.
*Illustrative imageSeismic Design Methods That Account for Ground Effects
Under the Building Standard Law as revised in 2007, the ground around a building, not just directly beneath it, must be investigated, and if necessary the effects of the ground are reflected in setting input ground motions. This research evaluates how complex ground structure affects the input ground motions to buildings, and examines how these effects should be incorporated into actual seismic design.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nagano Lab are a Professor, an Assistant Professor, a Visiting Professor, a Visiting Associate Professor, visiting researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasayuki Nagano
- Assistant ProfessorRinnosuke Niizeki
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Omori (CMO Pivot type) strong motion seismograph (V-2) Preserved in CWB” SSR2000 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- The Earthquake Disaster Belt and Amplification by Subsurface Structure: “Fire of Great Hanshin earthquake Seen from Portisland” 神戸市 / CC BY 2.1 jp (cropped)
- Understanding Building Shaking Through Dense Strong-Motion Observation: “"Сейсмограф" Seismometer in Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology” Lesless / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Integrated Analysis from Earthquake to Building Response: “Earthquake experience car,Chiba-city,Japan” katorisi / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Seismic Design Methods That Account for Ground Effects: “Historischer Seismograph” Ilyacadiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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