Dr. Hideki "Kit" Miyamoto (born 1963)[1] is a Japanese-American structural engineer known for being the founder-CEO of Miyamoto International, a global structural engineering and disaster risk reduction organization.[4][5] He is also the chairman of California's Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, which investigates earthquakes and recommends policies for risk reduction.[6][7]
Miyamoto was elected as a chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission in October 2020. He has formerly served as a seismic safety commissioner for eight years where he has advocated for increased resiliency in California.[15]
Innovations
Dr. Miyamoto was responsible for the seismic retrofit of the Theme Building, an iconic Space Age structure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The innovative retrofit consisted of adding a tuned mass damper (TMD) to the top of the building's core. The TMD option was selected because it was less expensive, protected the building's architectural features, and minimized building closure.[16] This was the first time this retrofit had been achieved in the United States.[17]
The award is given annually to an outstanding Sacramento Section member who supports ASCE's mission through dedication of time and involvement with humanitarian efforts, local Section affairs, safety, social services, and the like.
This Award lecture is presented by an outstanding individual of National and/or International prominence, preferably one who is renowned in the field of Civil Engineering.
2013
1st Annual Business Innovation & Economic Development Award
American Institute of Architects California Council
The award celebrates a member of an allied profession who is committed to enhancing and contributing to the field of architecture and architectural design.
The Distinguished Alumni Award honors alumni from California State University for their outstanding contributions to their communities.
2011
Fellow
American Society of Civil Engineers
2011
Frederick W. Panhorst Structural Engineering Award
American Society of Civil Engineers
2011
Top 25 Newsmakers
Engineering News Record
Special recognition to Engineering News Record stories chosen by ENR editors.
2011
Alfred E. Alquist California Seismic Safety Commissioner[25]
Seismic Safety Commission
The Seismic Safety Commission (SSC) investigates earthquakes, researches earthquake-related issues and reports, and recommends to the Governor and Legislature policies and programs needed to reduce earthquake risk.
The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given each year to someone working in an architecture, engineering, planning or environmental firm who has made tremendous impacts on the company through courageous leadership.
Earthquake Response
Dr. Kit Miyamoto plays a key role in earthquake damage assessment, building safety, capacity building, and reconstruction strategies to improve seismic resilience around the world. His work focuses on failure mechanisms and improved construction practices to reduce future earthquake risks.
Damage assessment to heavily damaged areas, building collapses and failures[37]
Evaluated reasons for widespread destruction, including poor construction quality and lack of code enforcement
Provided recommendations on improving building safety and reconstruction strategies[38]
Publications
Haiti earthquake 2021: Findings from the repair and damage assessment of 179,800 buildings, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (2024)[39]
Seismic Risk Assessment and Retrofit of School Buildings In Developing Countries, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)[40]
Seismic Collapse Probability of Structures with Viscous Dampers per ASCE 7–16: Effect of Large Earthquake, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)[41]
Damage Assessment and Seismic Retrofit of Heritage and Modern Buildings in the Aftermath of 2015 Nepal Earthquake, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)[42]
Design of Structures with Dampers per ASCE 7–16 and Performance for Large Earthquakes, Structures Congress, Houston, Texas (2018)[43]
Cost-Effective Seismic Isolation Retrofit of Heritage Cathedrals in Haiti, 16th World Conference on Earthquake, Santiago, Chile (2017)[44]
Transparent Global Earthquake Risk And Loss Estimation, Tokyo, Japan (2013)[45]
Media
Major media such as CNN,[46] LA Times,[47] NY Times[48] and Rolling Stone[49] have mentioned, represented, or interviewed him. He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.[50]