Seismic Design of Buildings in Accordance with

Abstract—Seismic damage is a greater risk day by day, as higher and larger buildings are being built with the improvement of technology. High population densities in urban areas render them vulnerable to higher degrees of damage regarding both financial losses as well as human lives. The havoc and damages caused by an earthquake disrupts the economy as well as the society to a large extent. VastuShastra is an ancient Indian science relating the architectural and engineering aspects of building sciences to religion and spirituality. This science states rules and byelaws for the design and construction of various structures. These rules and byelaws can be well explained using the modern scientific logic and knowledge and are helpful in design of better and more stable structures. This study reviews the planning principles cited in VastuShastra texts, the ancient Indian building science, with reference to the design of earthquake resistant buildings and draws conclusions so as to improve seismic performance of buildings. The study uses references of research conducted by scientists and engineers to justify three of the VastuShastra principles; namely, the Soft Storey concept, the effect of shape of columns on seismic performance and drawbacks of porous soil beneath the structure