1Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings: Innovative Alternatives

Recent earthquakes in Turkey (1999) and Taiwan (1999) demonstrated the power of nature and the catastrophic impact of such power upon urban cities. Casualties and damage associated with older buildings, which were designed and constructed using codes that are now known to provide inadequate safety, are far worse than that for newer buildings which have been designed and built in accordance with more stringent code requirements. On a universal scale, the stock of older buildings built before 1980’s is believed to be many times more than the number of newer buildings in most urban cities. Relatively speaking, seismic retrofitting of buildings is still a new activity for most structural engineers. The retrofitting of a building requires an appreciation for the technical, economic and social aspects of the issue in hand. Changes in construction technologies and innovation in retrofit technologies present added challenge to engineers in selecting a technically, economically and socially acceptable solution. Conventional upgrading techniques usually include the addition of existing walls and foundations and strengthening of frames. Most of these techniques often lead to costl