An integrated model for earthquake risk assessment of buildings

This study is devoted to the formulation and construction of an integrated model for earthquake risk assessment of buildings in seismic regions. The model developed has five stages: i) characterization of ground motion, ii) construction of the building model, iii) evaluation of the inelastic building response, iv) structural damage assessment, and v) risk evaluation. Stages iii) and iv) are emphasized in the current presentation, because they include some newer aspects such as the use of story-shear and torque surfaces for inelastic building analysis and fuzzy logic for assessing the earthquake performance of a structure. Examples including a large building inventory and two individual structures are developed to show the potential use of the model. Results show that the model is capable of discriminating different foundation soils, earthquake performance of shear-wall and frame buildings, asymmetries in height and plan, and between conventional and seismically isolated structures. Such features may be useful to engineers working in city planning, emergency and risk management, and the insurance industry.