Best Practices for an 1

Earthquake Resistant
Design--a few important
tips

 Presented on 29-05-2019 at DTU by Sangeeta Wij

Managing Partner
SD Engineering Consultants
LLP
 Why the need for a fresh 2

perspective
 The attempt here is to present a set of Do’s and
Don’ts as per Best Practices based on BIS Codes
 There are new revisions of IS 1893 and 13920 in
the market
 There is a new Code for Tall buildings 16700
 There are new Guidelines for Hospital Safety by
NDMA
 It’s felt that neither Clients nor most structural
engineers are aware of the important provisions
 Architects, being the Client interface need to be
Contents for discussion 3

today:
 Some aberrations to good seismic
design
 What really are the best practices
 What are the Seismic design
Categories globally
 Irregularities in building planning
 Do’s and don’t’s
A GLARING SOFT STOREY 4

??
RESIDENTIAL LUXURY 5
CONDOMINIUMS IN NCR-
FLAT PLATES AND
COLUMNS??
COMMERCIAL TOWER – 6

HOW WE LOVE
ASYMMETRY??
Key points to ponder 7
What is a Collapse
Prevention design ?? Why 8

do we need to know?
World over the Earthquake
Safety of buildings is of four
categories:
 Fully Operational
 Immediate occupancy
 Life Safety
 Collapse Prevention
SEISMIC GRADATION OF BUILDINGS

Earthquake Resistant buildings are of 4 types, Most buildings in

India follow the minimum code standards and therefore will be
classified as Category-D buildings for Earthquake Safety.
SEISMIC GRADATION OF BUILDING

Category-A: Fully Operational:

The building, its contents and utilities are
shaken by an earthquake, but no damage occurs
in either of the above; the function of the
building is not disrupted due to the occurrence
of the earthquake.
We must use Dampers and Base Isolation
devices to reach this level.
Non-Linear Performance Based design is
required instead of usual Static/ Dynamic
Analysis being carried out presently.
Use of SAP or equivalent softwares in place of
ETABS/STAADPRO currently under use.
Higher competence level of structural engineers
a must to be able to work with ASCE41 and
execute the designs/drawings accordingly.
 1
1

Category-B: Immediate Occupancy: The building, its contents and

utilities are shaken predominantly in their linear range of behavior
and only minor damage may occur in them; the use of prevailing
functions of the building and facilities is not restricted after the
earthquake so that its functioning can be resumed immediately after
the earthquake.
SEISMIC GRADATION OF BUILDING

Category-C: Life Safety: The building, its contents and

utilities are shaken severely in their non linear range of
behavior. Significant damage occurs in them, but the
building remains within its reserve capacity and does not
reach the state of imminent collapse. The use of the facility
is restricted after the earthquake until detailed structural
safety assessment is performed to ascertain the suitability of
the building for retrofitting. If found suitable for retrofitting,
the building maybe retrofitted.
 1
3

Category-D: Collapse Prevention: The building, its contents

and utilities are shaken severely in their non linear range of
behavior. Major damage occurs in them. The building does not
have any additional reserve capacity and is in the state of
imminent collapse. The building cannot be used after the
earthquake.
 1
Why are BIS Codes still based on Collapse 4
Prevention??
 Least Cost and Ease of Analysis and design must
have prompted our Code makers to follow
Collapse Prevention post Independence.
 Performance Based designs coupled with
Energy dissipating devices are a must to
upgrade Building safety to higher levels.
 We must look beyond the Least Cost and give
the customer the choice to get the system
designed to his budget and his choice of
Earthquake safety.
SEISMIC UPGRADATION OF
BUILDING
SEISMIC UPGRADATION COST DIFFERENCE

1. From Collapse Prevention to Life Safety 250/-

2. From Collapse Prevention to Immediate Occupancy

350/-

3. From Collapse Prevention to Fully Operational 700/-

4. From Life Safety to Immediate Occupancy 250/-

PLAN IRREGULARITIES

Indian Code Specifies Five Types of Plan Irregularities

1. Torsion Irregularities (Should be avoided in zone III, IV and V)

Torsion Irregularities can

avoided
1. Plan aspect ratio < 3

2. Distribution of vertical
element resisting lateral
load should be balanced
according to mass in plan

∆2<1.5 ∆1

16
PLAN IRREGULARITIES
2. Re-entrant Corners

Plan has a projection in

direction of size< 15% of it
overall plan dimension in
that direction
PLAN IRREGULARITIES
3. Diaphragm
Discontinuity

Floor slab
cutout/openings <50%
of total floor area
PLAN IRREGULARITIES
4. Out of Plan offset

In zone III,IV and

five should be
avoided
PLAN IRREGULARITIES
5. Non-Parallel Lateral Load Resisting System
 VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
1. Stiffness Irregularities
a. Soft Storey
Lateral Stiffness of the storey is less than 70% of the lateral stiffness of
storey above or less that 80% of the average lateral stiffness of three
stories above

b. Extreme Soft Storey

Lateral Stiffness of the story is less than 60% of the lateral stiffness of
story above or less that 70% of the average lateral stiffness of three
stories above
Building on Stilts are Fall Under These Categories
VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
Effect of weak Storey
VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
2. Mass Irregularities
The Seismic Weight of any Story is more than the 150
Percent of that of the adjacent Storey
VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
3. Vertical Geometric Irregularity
The Horizontal Dimension of lateral force resisting in
any story is more than 125% of that in adjacent story

Vertical geometric
irregularity when
L2>1.25 L1
4. In-Plane Discontinuity in
Vertical Element Resisting
Lateral Force
In-Plane Offset of the
Lateral Force Resisting Element
Greater Than the Length of
Those Elements (b>a)
VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
5. Discontinuity in Capacity–Weak
Storey

Earlier code : Story Lateral Strength

is Less Than 80% of That in The Story
Above, are the Weak Storey. When
Lateral Strength of F1<0.8 F2 then F1 is
the weak Storey
Revised code : Story Lateral Strength is
Less Than of That in The Story Above,
are the Weak Storey. When Lateral
Strength of F1< F2 then F1 is the weak
Storey
 BUILDING CONFIGURATIONS
 SHOULD HAVE SIMPLE RECTANGULAR PLAN AND BE SYMMETRICAL BOTH WITH RESPECT TO MASS AND
RIGIDITY SO THAT THE CENTRES OF THE MASS AND RIGIDITY OF THE BUILDING COINCIDE WITH EACH
OTHER

 BUILDINGS HAVING PLANS WITH SHAPES LIKE L, T, Y, E SHOULD BE SEPARATED INTO RECTANGULAR
PARTS BY PROVIDING SEPARATION GAPS AT APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS.
 2
WHY SHOULD WE GO 9

REGULAR?
 A Closed Geometry works best in case of Horizontal
Loads like Earthquakes
 A Square or a Circular Configuration with nominal
Offsets or Setbacks in Plan or in Elevation
 An Open Flower Shaped Configuration is the worst
against Horizontal Loads and may Induce large
torsion/twisting
 Open Storeys were completely crushed in
Ahmedabad(ALSO ZONE-III,like HYDERABAD)
during 2002 Earthquake
 All soft storey columns and beams need to be
designed with 2.5 times earthquake Loads
 3
What are the Best Practices in
0

structural alysis/design ?
 Analysis, design diligently ,based on BIS 1893,875
and 456 using STAADPRO/ETABS/SAP2000
 Use Loads and Load Combinations as per BIS875-
Best Practices in Structural Analysis and design--a few common mistakes

Part V
 Provide Wall stiffness in the model,using diagonal
struts and use Time Period formula with Filler walls
if the Buildings has Masonry walls
 Use Formula for Bare Frame only if the structure
doesn’t have any masonry walls
 3
Continued… 1
 Tall structures, if founded on soft soils, (N<10), must have
Pile or Raft Foundation.
 Liquefaction Potential must be verified in case the
structures are being founded on sandy soils, likely to
have high water tables.
 Storey Drift and deflections must be limited to
acceptable limits.
 Effect of thermal stresses must be incorporated by
suitably modifying Load Combinations wherever building
block size exceeds the recommended size of 40-45m
 (DL+LL+WL/EL+Temp Load)
 Wind Tunnel Test should preferably be carried outout for
tall structures(height> 150m)
SOME DO’S & DON’TS FOR STRUCTURAL3
ENGINEERS/ARCHITECTS/CLIENTS 2

 SAY NO TO HIDDEN BEAMS

 SAY NO TO FLOATING COLUMNS
 SAY NO TO FLAT SLABS IN HIGH
SEISMIC ZONES
 DONOT ADOPT irregular
GEOMETRIES
 DONOT ADOPT ISOLATED FOOTINGS
OR PILE CAPS for soils with N<10
 Symmetrically place Shear Walls
preferably at building periphery
and design them to carry at least
75% Eq Loads
 3
Continued… 3
 Good old Expansion joints still work the best,
separating towers from low-rise and squatter
Podiums
 JOINTLESS LARGE DEVELOPMENTS TEND TO CRACK
UP ,ESPECIALLY AT TOP BASEMENT ROOF LEVEL
 SOFT STOREYS ARE LIKE BUTTER AND JELLY,WHEN
EARTHQUAKE STRIKES
 BASEMENT PARKINGS PREFERABLE OVER OPEN STILT
PARKINGS FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH
 SAY YES TO A REGULAR GEOMETRY…LET’S LOOK AT
WHAT BIS 1893 PRESCRIBES
DESIGN OF VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL
PROJECTIONS FOR 5 TIMES EARTHQUAKE

34
 The design as per clause 7.12.2.1&2 needs to
be revised for all cantilever beams/slabs and
columns supporting mumty, machine room
and water tanks on terrace, considering 5
times the earthquake loads applicable for
design of connections with the main building.

 Isolated footings in Zones 4&5 must be tied

using footing beams to avoid uneven
settlement and cracking at later on. Refer
clause 7.12.1 of IS 1893 (absence of ties may
be responsible for development of cracks as
visible in certain non-tower columns)
 Salient features in Tall 3
5
Buildings Code BIS16700
 This code is applicable for reinforced concrete
(RC) buildings of heights greater than 50 m, but
less than 250 m, normally intended for use as
residential, office and other commercial
buildings.
 This code may be used for design of medium-
and low-rise buildings (of heights equal to or less
than 50m) also; the good practices mentioned in
this standard will add value to the design of the
said buildings.
 Expansion Joints are prohibited in basements of
tall buildings.
 Height Limit for Structural Systems 3
 The maximum building height (in m) shall not exceed values6given
in Table 1 for buildings with different structural systems.
 Slenderness Ratio 3
7 shall
The maximum values of the ratio of height h to minimum Base Width
exceed values given in Table 2. B
 The minimum dimension of a column : 3
(a) 20 times the largest beam bar diameter of the 8
longitudinal reinforcement in the beam passing through
or anchoring into the column joint,(for 25 dia beam r/f:
375mm and for 32 dia beam bars: 480mm)
(b) or 300 mm.

 Special moment frame and shear walls shall not be

discontinued in lower storeys and supported on less stiff
and brittle elements.
Structural Wall Systems
 The thickness of structural wall shall not be less than
160mm or Hw/20, whichever is larger. E.g.For 45m tall
buildings, min wall thickness:225mm and so on
Frame Tube – Structural and Tube-In-Tube Wall System 3
9
The minimum requirements for reinforcement bar diameters in
beams of moment frames and tubes are given in Table 9.
FOUNDATIONS 4
 Geotechnical Investigations 0
 For geotechnical investigation, boreholes shall:
 (a) Be spaced at ~30m within the plan area of the
building,
 (b) Be a minimum of 2 boreholes per tower, and
 (c) Have a depth of at least 1.5 times estimated width
of foundation.
 Depth of Foundation
 The embedded depth of the building shall be at least
1/15 of height of building for raft foundation and 1/20
of the height of building for pile and piled raft
foundation (excluding pile length). But, when the
foundation rests on hard rock, this requirement may be
relaxed.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SEISMIC MONITORING 4
 1
Earthquake Shaking: All tall buildings in zone V & tall
buildings exceeding 150 m in Seismic Zone IV & III shall
be instrumented with tri-axial accelerometers to
capture translational and twisting behavior of buildings
during strong earthquake shaking.
 Wind Oscillations: Buildings over 150 height may be
instrumented with anemometers and accelerometers
to measure wind speed, acceleration and direction on
top of the buildings.
Foundation Settlement and Pressure Measurement
 Raft or Piled-raft shall be instrumented for monitoring
long-term pressure imposed by soil on the raft, at
appropriate number (at least 5) pressure pads below
the raft. Alternatively, piles can be instrumented with
strain gauges at their top to measure the load on
them.
 4
Salient features in NDMA 2

Guidelines for Hospitals

 the Critical units need to be designed to Immediate Occupancy level
and the rest to Life Safety, both requiring Performance Based /Non Linear
Analysis using the Formula Zx I/R x Sa/g which is twice the Base Shear
recommended by IS 1893-Part-I
 Structural analysis/design has to be based on ASCE41 assisted by Base
Isolators/Dampers.
 ETABS Ultimate or SAP 2000 necessary to carry out Non Linear Dynamic
analysis
 Buildings need to follow Regular geometry as per IS1893 definitions
 No Soft/Weak storeys are permitted(referring to stilted floors/ service
floors etc)
 No hidden beams /Floating Columns
 No PT/PEB/Flat Slabs/Precast Construction is permitted
 All old Hospitals to go for a Retrofit as per recommended procedure
 4
CONCLUSIONS 3
 CLIENTS MUST AWARD WORK TO STRUCTURAL
DESIGN ENGINEERS DIRECTLY
 ALL PROCUREMENT PROCESSES INCLUDING
CONTRACTERS, ENGINEERS,REVIEWERS TO ENSURE
QUALITY
 ALL STRUCTURAL DESIGN/ REVIEW PROCESS MUST
FOCUS ON HIGHER PERFORMANCE AND LONG
TERM SAFETY AND NOT ON STEEL REDUCTION.
 PAYMENTS TO STRUCTURAL CONSULTANTS MUST BE
AT PAR WITH GLOBAL STANDARDS AND NOT JUST
“x” RS PER SQ FEET
 PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE MUST BE IN
PLACE
 44

Thank You