Resilient Design: Performance Assessment of Structural Materials

Resilient Design: Performance Assessment of Structural Materials

Speakers: Evan Reis, PE, SE | Executive Director, Co-Founder | U.S. Resiliency Council
Brandon Wray | Director, Building Innovations | National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

Day | Date | Time: Thursday, August 25, 2022 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

AIA LUs: 1 LU / HSW (pending)

Description: The U.S. Resiliency Council (USRC) conducted a study on the comparative seismic performance of multifamily structures comprised of four construction types: traditional wood framing, cross laminated timber (CLT), steel framing and insulated concrete forms (ICF). The objective of the study was to demonstrate that different structural systems, all permitted within the International Building Code, may nonetheless deliver different performance in earthquakes. While a code compliant building regardless of structural system is expected to provide life safety, the amount of physical damage, repair costs and building functional recovery time can depend significantly on the strength and stiffness of the selected structural system.

The in the study, estimates were made on the repair costs and recovery times associated with damage caused by a range of earthquake intensities in various locations. These estimates were based upon methodology developed over more than fifteen years by FEMA in the P58 – Seismic Performance Assessment of Buildings standard. Furthermore, it estimates repair costs and recovery time based on the fragility of individual structural and nonstructural components. Ultimately, net benefits and net construction cost deltas were compared across the four configurations and potential return on investment was estimated considering earthquakes that might occur over a 50-year building life. The study concludes with a USRC rating for safety, damage and recovery for each system and territory.