Rapid Seismic Assessment Procedures for the Turkish Building Stock

Abstract

Seismic performance assessment procedures based on street survey have been developed for low- to mid-rise reinforced concrete and masonry buildings in Turkey. These procedures rely on data that can be collected through visual examination of each building. The data is collected through the forms designed for that purpose. The attributes that are believed to affect seismic performance have been determined and used to evaluate seismic vulnerability. It is important to note that these procedures are not appropriate for determination of seismic vulnerability of individual buildings but to rank a population of buildings according to their relative vulnerability. The primary parameters used for RC buildings include seismic hazard, structural system, number of stories, irregularities in plan and elevation, architectural features and building adjacency. Similar parameters are used for masonry buildings. The procedures developed use the selected attributes to determine seismic vulnerability scores for each building. These scores include a base score that is modified for each attribute to get the vulnerability score. The procedures proposed for rapid seismic assessment were validated and calibrated based on field data and results of detailed assessment procedures.