Disciplinary Theme 2: Whole-of-Building Seismic Performance

The goal of this programme is to develop fundamental understanding, and methods and models for the quantification, of whole-of-building seismic performance through direct consideration of interactions between structural and non-structural components, as well as advances in seismic design and assessment considering a whole-of-life approach. Idealization of building systems during design often leads to components being considered in isolation without fully accounting for the performance of the building as a whole. As society increasingly demands safe, resilient, and repairable buildings there is a greater need to consider buildings as a ‘holistic’ system in order to ensure continued functionality after a range of earthquake scenarios. Key thrusts of this research will include interactions between structural components, floor diaphragm assessment and design, non-structural component demands and interactions, and implication of design decisions and methods. The mechanics of component interactions will be investigated using a combination large-scale structural testing, data from international collaborative building tests (past and new), and field observations of the performance of building in earthquakes. These data sources will be used to develop and vet methods of modelling component interactions using state-of-art numerical simulations. Synthesis and translation of these models to design methods will result in immediate improvements in building resilience.