Assessment of Earthquake-Induced Losses of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings for Different Seismic Design Code Levels

Past major earthquake events worldwide have shown significant economic and social losses to impacted communities. The assessment of potential losses is essential for the preparation of mitigation plans and emergency response measures toward improved seismic resiliency. Recent research has focused on the aspect of loss of functionality of buildings as a significant measure of seismic resilience. Several approaches are available for loss estimations including empirical and analytical methods with varying degrees of complexity. For the assessment of a large portfolio of buildings, there is a need for simplified and rapid tools that can be applied with reduced computational time. This paper presents a methodology for the assessment of expected earthquake-induced losses including direct economic losses and the loss of functionality of existing high-rise reinforced concrete shear wall buildings in Eastern Canada. The methodology consists of hazard analysis using response spectra compatible with the National Building Code of Canada hazard values, structural analysis using an iterative capacity spectrum method, damage analysis based on drift and acceleration fragility functions for structural and non-structural components, and loss analysis based on the correlation between predicted damage states and repair costs as well as the probability of loss of functionality. A comparison between expected losses for different seismic design levels according to the year of construction is presented and discussed.