The tall buildings initiative for alternative seismic design

Whereas current building codes legally apply to the seismic design of tall buildings, their prescriptive provisions do not adequately address many critical aspects. The alternative provisions clause of building codes provides an alternative to the prescriptive provisions through a performance-based approach. Application of performance-based procedures requires a clear definition of performance objectives, procedures for selecting and scaling earthquake ground motions for design, nonlinear modelling and simulation methods that produce reliable estimates of the design demands, criteria for measuring whether calculated demands are acceptable, and a framework for the design and review of alternative-design buildings. The Tall Buildings Initiative was initiated among a consortium of interested parties to develop the required information, including written guidelines, through a series of research tasks and workshops. The activities of the Tall Buildings Initiative are described. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.