Kit Miyamoto


Dr. Hideki "Kit" Miyamoto is a Japanese-American structural engineer known for being the founder-CEO of Miyamoto International, a global structural engineering and disaster risk reduction organization. He is also the chairman of California's Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, which investigates earthquakes and recommends policies for risk reduction.

Early life and education

Miyamoto was born and raised in Tokyo and studied earthquake engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and California State University. He lives in Los Angeles.

Career

Miyamoto started his career in structural engineering and later focused on disaster resiliency, response, and reconstruction. He provides policy consultation to the World Bank, USAID, UN agencies, governments and private sector. He has led teams of professionals on response and reconstruction projects after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2011 Japan earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake, 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes and other seismic risk reduction programs along with disaster risk mitigation policy work.
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.

Innovations

Dr. Miyamoto was responsible for the seismic retrofit of the Theme Building, an iconic Space Age structure at Los Angeles International Airport. The innovative retrofit consisted of adding a tuned mass damper 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. This was the first time this retrofit had been achieved in the United States.

Disaster response

Miyamoto works in earthquake damage assessment, building safety, capacity building, and reconstruction strategies to improve seismic resilience. His work focuses on failure mechanisms and improved construction practices to reduce future earthquake risks.
Seismic EventContributionsOutcomes and impact
Sichuan, China
(M-8.0, 2008)		Observation and assessment of collapsed schools and other buildings, identifying issues with non-ductile concrete construction
  • Provided recommendations on improving construction practices and seismic safety of buildings
Port-au-Prince, Haiti(M-7.0, 2010)Damage assessment and reconstruction planning
  • Assessed 430,000 buildings and developed a repair program for damaged structures
  • Trained over 600 local engineers and 6,000 masons in seismic-resistant construction techniques
  • Helped repair nearly 10,000 houses, impacting over 100,000 people
Tōhoku, Japan (M-9.0, 2011)Damage assessment and tsunami impacts
  • Observed failures of seawalls and nuclear power plant cooling systems
  • Provided recommendations on improving tsunami resilience of coastal infrastructure
Gorkha District, Nepal (M-7.8, 2015)Damage assessment in Kathmandu and remote villages
  • Evaluated safety of damaged buildings and provided repair recommendations
  • Advised on reconstruction strategies and seismic strengthening of structures
    • Manabí Province, Ecuador(M-7.8, 2016)Damage assessment in affected coastal areas
    • Worked with local officials to evaluate building safety and develop reconstruction plans
    • Provided training to local engineers on post-earthquake assessment techniques
    Paktika, Afghanistan(M-5.9, 2022)Damage assessment to develop repair strategies for traditional mud brick buildings
    • Provided recommendations on improving earthquake resistance of vernacular construction techniques
    • Trained local engineers and masons on proper repair and reconstruction methods
    Osmaniye and Gaziantep, Türkiye-Syria (M-7.8, 2023)Damage assessment to heavily damaged areas, building collapses and failures
  • Evaluated reasons for widespread destruction, including poor construction quality and lack of code enforcement
  • Provided recommendations on improving building safety and reconstruction strategies

    • Media

    He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.