Response of Concrete Buildings to Lateral Forces

ACI-ASCE Committee 442 (Response of Concrete Buildings to Lateral Forces) has just issued its report (ACI-ASCE 442 1988a). In that Report, the performance of reinforced concrete buildings subjected to wind, blast and earthquake loads is discussed. Building response and basic design approaches corresponding to these loads are briefly reviewed. Performance criteria and approaches for meeting these criteria are outlined. Various structural subassemblies and systems are reviewed, and their behavior is discussed with respect to these performance criteria. The role of analysis in design and in performance evaluation is discussed, and various analytical procedures are reviewed. Techniques for evaluating building response are summarized. General factors contributing to good performance are emphasized. This paper is a summary and overview of that Report.