SEISMIC UPGRADE DESIGN OF REPRESENTATIVE BUILDINGS IN THE U.S.A.

Building owners and users in the United States are becoming increasingly aware of the potential risks associated with seismically hazardous buildings. Thus, many buildings designed to older codes are being seismically upgraded. The primary concern governing the design criteria for strengthening theses buildings is either life safety (in which the upgrade construction provides for sufficient resistance to prevent collapse, but moderate to extensive damage is tolerated) or damage control' (in which limited and repairable damage or no structural damage is allowed in order to ensure continuous operation of the facility). This paper presents several representative seismic upgrade projects successfully completed using different upgrade schemes. It is noted that such upgrade projects can be cost effectively implemented to achieve the desired results