1+1

National Research
Council Canada
Conseil national
de recherches Canada
..'
IaC-CIaC
Manual for Screening
of Buildings for Seisll1ic
Investigation
MANUAL FOR SCREENING OF BUILDINGS
FOR SEISMIC INVESTIGATION
Prepared by:
Institute for Research in Construction
National Research Council Canada
Ottawa
Funded by:
Department of National Defence
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
City of Vancouver
B.C. Buildings Corporation
Institute for Research in Construction
National Research Council of Canada 1993
December 1993
ISBN 0-660-15381-5
NRCC 36943
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The development of the present manual was supported financially by a contract from the
Department of National Defence (DND), by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. the
British Columbia Building Corporation. and by the City ofVancouver. The many discussions and
comments by Mr. Vaidyanathan of DND and by A Geraghty of the City of Vancouver were most
helpful in the development of this manual. The encouragement and advice. as well as cooperation.
from Mr. U. Morelli of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Washington. D.C.. and Dr. C.
Rojahn of the Applied Technology Council. Redwood City. California. is much appreciated.
Most of the figures and photos in this manual were obtained from the document ATC-21
(Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: AHandbook). courtesy of the
Applied Technology Council. The map of Canadian seismicity was provided by the Geological
5mvey of Canada. and the seismic zoning maps were obtained courtesy of the National Building
Code of Canada.
This version of the manual was prepared by the follOwing:
J.H. Rainer. Principallnvestigator
D.E. Allen
AM. Jablonski
with the collaboration of:
J.K. Blohm
R DeVall
F.Knoll
D. Mitchell
RG. Redwood
IRC/NRC. Ottawa
IRC/NRC. Ottawa
IRC/NRC. Ottawa (formerly)
Wayte. Blohm & Associates. Victoria. B.C.
Read Jones Christoffersen. Vancouver. B.C.
Nicolet. Chartrand & Knoll Ud. Montreal. Quebec
McGill University. Montreal. Quebec
McGill University. Montreal. Quebec
NOTICE
This manual was prepared by the Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) for the
sponsoring organizations listed on the title page. The procedure described is intended as an initial
screening method for ranking buildings in an inventoIY to determine the need for more detailed
seismic evaluation. The numerical results are not to be construed as indicating the presence or
absence of adequate seismic safety in the building sUlveyed.
i
FOREWORD TO THIS MANUAL
This manual presents a rapid screening procedure for ranking buildings in an inventory
for later. more detailed seismic evaluations. The procedure is intended to precede and be
compatible with the NRC document "Guidelines for Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings"
which is compatable to the National Building Code of Canada. The methodology adopted in this
manual is based on identifying the main features of any building affecting risk of seismic hazards
and the importance of the building as determined by its use and occupancy. Anumerical scoring
system is used. which is related to the earthquake requirements of the National Building Code of
Canada It must be emphasized that this method is not an evaluation for seismic adequacy. but
merely a screening procedure to rank buildings to find those that should be evaluated in more
detail.
This manual has made extensive use of the ATC-21 document ''Rapid Visual Screening of
Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: AHandbook". published by the U.S. Federal Emergency
Management Agency in July 1988. Major changes with respect to the ATC-21 document are:
1. The procedure is adapted to Canadian seismicity and building practice.
2. The screening procedure is based on field inspection of the inside of each building as well
as the outside or an inspection of the building drawings. whereas the ATC-21 procedure
is based on field inspection of the outside of each building only.
3. The scoring system was revised to include non-structural as well as structural hazards.
and also importance of the buildings as determined by use and occupancy.
4. The data collection form was modified to suit the procedure adopted in this manual.
5. The procedure is focussed on buildings that are generally covered by Part 4 of the National
Building Code of Canada.
The development ofthis manual beganwith the establishment of a method. The numerical
method adopted is based on a product of factors that are known to affect the behaviour of
buildings in earthquakes. and relating each of these factors to the seismic requirements of the
1990 National Building Code of Canada. This method was supplemented with explanatory text.
largely taken from the ATC-21 document resulting in a 'Draft for Trial Use". This draft received
reviews by two different seismic consultants and from the staff of two different agencies. As a
. result of the comments received. the following major changes were then made to the "Draft for
Trial Use":
1. Revisions were carried out to the Seismic Screening Form (see Appendix C), among them:
the factor for type of construction (C) was increased for concrete construction.
the factor for building importance (E) was altered by increasing the bounds for N
values of the various occupancies.
the factors for non-structural hazards (F) were doubled to reflect their proper
relative importance.
a note was added to identify uncertain values by an asterisk.
11
2. The text was clarified throughout the manual.
3. New examples were included in Appendix B.
4. The title was changed to better reflect the manual's role in the seismic investigation process.
5. A section was added on uncertain identification of building type.
The producers of the manual at IRe would be pleased to receive specific suggestions for
further improvement of the manual.
iii
SUMMARY AND APPLICATION
A se1sm1c screening procedure is
presented which is based on a rapid
inspection of each building or its drawings.
Information for each building is collected on
a standard $eismic Screening Form. which is
used to obtain a score for a seismic priority
index for each bUilding. The scores are then
used to rank all buildings of the inventoryfor
detailed seismic evaluation. i.e.. screening
out those that require further consideration.
This manual provides the inspector with
backgroundinformation and data required to
complete the form.
The methodology is based on the key
factors that affect risk of seismic hazards for
any building; seismicity. soil conditions. type
of structure. irregularities of the structure.
and the presence of non-structural hazards.
It is also based on the importance of the
building as affected by its use and
occupancy. since this affects the
consequences of seismic damage. Much of
the information will usuallybe obtained prior
to the building inspections. including
seismicity. soil conditions. and importance of
the building. The key information on type
and irregularities of the structure and the
presence of non-structural hazards will
usually be determined by inspection of each
building or its drawings. The information is
used to select scoring factors on the Seismic
Screening Form and combine them to
determine a score for the building; the
higher the score. the greater the priority for
further consideration. The score relates to
the deviation of contributing factors to
earthquake requirements in the 1990
National Building Code of Canada. The score
contains two components which may be
treated separately. one related to behaviour
of the structure. the other related to
behaviour of non-structural components.
This separation is useful for planning future
seismic evaluation and upgrading.
The buildings are then ranked
according to score and divided into three
categories: those that are considered of low
pI1ority. of medium pI1ority. and of high
pI10rity for a more detailed investigation.
The divisions into low. medium. and high
pI1oI1ties are somewhat arbitrary and depend
on local resources and pI10rities as well as
the kinds of buildings involved. The
following values of seismic priorityindex (SPI)
are suggested as a st:arting basis: less than
10 for low. between 10 and 20 for medium.
and larger than 20 for high pI1oI1ty.
Buildings with SPI scores greater than 30
can be considered potentially hazardous.
The procedure presented in this
manual is meant to be the preliminary
screening phase of a multi-phase procedure
for identifying potentially hazardous
buildings. Buildings identified by this
procedure as needing further evaluation
should be analyzed in more detail by a
profeSSional engineer experienced in seismic
design. Because this procedure is based on
a rapid inspection. in some cases hazardous
details will not be evident. and some
seismically hazardous structures will not be
identified as such. Conversely. buildings
identified as potentially hazardous mayprove
to be adequate. Such cases should. however.
be the exception rather than the rule.
Local governments may use the
procedures outlined in the manual to begin
a local program. However, because this
manual is not in itself a legal document. the
local programmust be carefully planned and
worked into the locality's legal framework.
Before a local jurisdiction can adopt a
mitigation program, it should devise
consiStent, legally defensible procedures for
the citing of individual hazardous buildings
and set cI1teria so that detailed engineering
studies could eventually determine
strengthening requirements of each building.
tv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
FORWARD TO TInS MANUAL
SUMMARY AND APPLICATION
Page
11
iv
1.
2.
3.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Scope and Purpose of This Manual
1.2 Survey Personnel Qualifications and Training
1.3 How to Use This Manual
1.4 The Nature of Earthquakes
1.5 Seismicity of Canada
EARTHQUAKE BEHAVIOUR OF BUILDINGS
2.1 Earthquake Effects
2.2 How Earthquake Forces are Resisted
2.3 Types of Building Structures and Typical Earthquake Damage
2.4 Configuration Problems
2.5 Non-Structural Hazards
2.5.1 Exterior Non-Structural Components
2.5.2 Interior Non-Structural Components
GENERAL SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
3.1 Survey Implementation Sequence
3.2 Budget Development and Cost Estimation
3.3 Pre-Field Planning
3.4 Training of Personnel
3.5 Review of Seismic Screening Form
3.6 Survey Tools to be Taken into the Field
3.7 Information Sources
1
1
2
3
3
5
7
7
8
10
31
31
34
34
35
35
35
36
36
37
37
37
v
4. THE SCREENING PROCEDURE 39
4.1 Overview of Screening Procedure 39
4.2 Pre-Field Data 41
4.2.1 Identification of Building and Inspector 41
4.2.2 Number of Storeys and Total Floor Area 41
4.2.3 Year Built and Applicable NBC 41
4.2.4 Effective Seismic Zone 43
4.2.5 Soil Conditions 43
4.2.6 Use and Occupancy 44
4.3 Field Data 45
4.3.1 Sketches, Photos 45
4.3.2 Type of Structure 45
4.3.2.1 Distinguishing Frame Structures from Bearing
Wall Structures 47
4.3.2.2 Where to Look for Clues 50
4.3.2.3 Characteristics of Exposed Construction
Materials 50
4.3.2.4 Wood Light Frame (WLF) 52
4.3.2.5 Wood, Post, and Beam (WPB) 52
4.3.2.6 Steel Moment Frame (SMF) 58
4.3.2.7 Steel Braced Frame (SBF) 58
4.3.2.8 Steel Light Frame (SLF) 58
4.3.2.9 Steel Frame with Concrete Shear Walls (SCW) 58
4.3.2.10 Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Shear Walls
(SIW) 61
4.3.2.11 Concrete Moment Frame (CMF) 61
4.3.2.12 Concrete Shear Walls (CSW) 62
4.3.2.13 Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry Shear
Walls (CIW) 62
4.3.2.14 Precast Concrete Frame (PCP) 62
4.3.2.15 Precast Concrete Walls (PCW) 65
4.3.2.16 Reinforced-Masonry Bearing Walls with Wood
or Metal Deck Diaphragms (RML) 65
4.3.2.17 Reinforced-Masonry Bearing Walls with
Concrete Diaphragms (RMC) 68
4.3.2.18 Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing-Wall Buildings
(URM)
68
vi
5.
4.3.3 Irregularities
4.3.3.1 Vertical Irregularity
4.3.3.2 Horizontal Irregularity (Torsion)
4.3.3.3 Short Concrete Columns
4.3.3.4 Soft Storey
4.3.3.5 Pounding
4.3.3.6 Major Modifications
4.3.3.7 Deterioration
4.3.4 Non-Structural Hazards
4.3.4.1 Falling Hazards to Life
4.3.4.2 Hazards to Vital Operation
4.4 Scoring System
4.5 Data Confidence
RANKING AND SCREENING OF BUILDING INVENTORY
5.1 Ranking of Buildings According to Score
5.2 Cut-Off Score for Screening Out Low Risk Buildings
70
70
70
71
71
71
71
72
72
72
72
72
74
75
75
75
Appendix A: Seismic Zones NBC 1990
Appendix B: Examples
Appendix C: Seismic Screening Form
Seismic Screening Inventory Form
77
79
87
90
vii
1
INTRODUCTION
Earthquakes and the resultant danger of
building collapse or damage are hazards in many
parts of the world. In order to provide a tool to
evaluate the danger of building collapse or
damage due to earthquakes, this manual presents
a method whereby buildings can be rapidly
identified via a "rapid survey" as seismically
acceptable or potentially seismically hazardous.
The method generates a score, which results
from a quick site inspection of the building, both
inside as well as outside, or from a quick
inspection of the architectural and structural
drawings.
The score is related to the degree to
which the building is judged to deviate from
current (1990) seismic requirements. A high
score suggests that the building requires
additional study by a professional engineer
experienced in seismic design, and a low score
indicates that the building is probably adequate.
The score is separated into two components, one
for the structure, the other for non-structural
components.
1.1 Scope and Purpose of This Manual
1bis manual is intended as a rapid
screening method befitting buildings that are
covered by Part 4 of the National Building Code
of Canada (NBC). It is not intended for small
buildings covered by Part 9 of the NBC, such as
single-family or small multi-family houses. The
screening method presented here is compatible
with and intended to be followed by the detailed
evaluation method presented in "Guidelines for
Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings",
IRCINRC, 1992.
Although newer buildings in a
community may have been properly designed
and constructed to resist earthquake forces, there
may be many older buildings that pose a threat
to life safety or to the community as a whole if
subjected to an earthquake. The engineering
profession has addressed the problems associated
with earthquakes by developing "seismic hazard
zones" and design recommendations associated
with those zones. Hazard zones are developed
by looking at the number, size and location of
past earthquakes, the locations of active faults,
and the likelihood of future earthquakes in each
region. Appendix A contains maps showing the
maximum expected earthquake motions. The
maps were used to determine the seismic hazard
zones in the NBC 1990.
1bis manual describes a method to
rapidly and easily identify those buildings that
might pose a risk of loss of life or injury, or
severe curtailment of community services in the
event of a damaging earthquake. 1bis method is
meant to be fast and relatively inexpensive, so
that a community or authority can develop a list
of potentially hazardous buildings without the
high cost of a detailed analysis of every building.
Ideally, if a building receives a high score and is
thus identified to be potentially hazardous on the
basis of this initial rapid screening procedure,
that building would receive further study by a
professional engineer having experience or
1
training in seismic design. On the basis of a
more detailed inspection and review of structural
drawings, and engineering analyses, and other
detailed procedures, a fmal determination about
the degree of seismic hazard can then be made.
1bis screening method can be employed
as a tool for assigning relative priorities to the
need for more detailed evaluation of a given
inventory of buildings. Thus, a group of
buildings, which are spread over a large region
or indeed all across the country, can be ranked
along relative levels of risk to the building
occupants and to the community as a whole. On
the other hand, the same ranking can be achieved
for a group of buildings in a given community.
The seismic screening procedure
presented in the manual is designed to be a
procedure in which no structural analysis
calculations are performed. The user will be
making decisions based on a scoring system
discussed later in the manual. In this procedure,
the inspection of the building or its drawings will
typically take an average of approximately one
hour per building, more for large complex
structures, less for smaller repetitive building.
Prior to the inspections, supplemental data will
be obtained from such other sources as assessor
or building department files or previous studies.
Such information should be reviewed and
collated before beginning the field survey.
1bis procedure is intended to be
applicable nationwide for all conventional
building types. Non-building structures, such as
bridges and large towers, are excluded Seismic
screening is meant to be the first phase of a
multi-phase procedure in which selected data are
obtained and used to arrive at a preliminary
decision regarding the potential hazard of the
building. The subsequent phase consists of more
detailed analyses of those buildings that were
identified by seismic screening as being in need
of further evaluation.
Although the seismic screening
procedure presented in this manual applies to
buildings of all types, due to budget or other
constraints some users may wish to restrict the
survey to building types that they consider the
most hazardous, such as unreinforced masonry or
non-ductile concrete. However, it is
recommended, at least initially, that all
conventional building types be considered, and
that elimination of certain building types be
well-documented and supported with both office
calculations and field survey data. It is possible
that in some cases even buildings designed to
modem codes could pose life-safety hazards,
particularly with regard to non-structural hazards.
1.2 Survey Personnel Qualifications
and Training
The seismic screening procedure was
developed and written for a target user consisting
of the following groups:
- local building officials
- professional engineers
- registered architects
- building owners
- emergency managers
Any or all of these people might be involved in
the efforts to identify a community's seismically
hazardous buildings and to mitigate the
associated hazard. Due to the varied
backgrounds of the members of this target group,
an effort has been made to define technical terms
and, where possible, to provide rules that assist
in making judgments where engineering
experience would otherwise be required.
Before attempting to perform the
screening procedure, all survey personnel should
read and be familiar with this manual. As a
training exercise, it is recommended that all
personnel, . in conjunction with a professional
engineer experienced in seismic design, initially
survey simultaJieously several buildings of
different types and compare results. This will
2
serve two purposes:
1. assure a more uniform interpretation of
the seismic screening form and scoring
procedure; and
methodology. Suggestions are made as to how
scores could be used to set priorities for
subsequent evaluations. But as stated, these are
only suggestions and should therefore be
thoroughly reviewed by the community before
adoption.
2. help to identify construction practices
unique to a particular jurisdiction and
perhaps not specifically discussed in the
manual.
1.4 The Nature of Earthquakes
1.3 How to Use this Manual
1llis manual is divided into several
sections. The first sections contain background
material; the later sections, material that may be
referred to in the field. All sections should be
read, however, before performing the survey.
Chapter 2 is an overview of the
behaviour of buildings in earthquakes. 1llis
includes a basic description of the structural
elements needed to resist earthquake forces and
a discussion of the most common damage that
occurs in different structural types. Chapter 3
provides guidance on how to plan and prepare
for the survey, including training of persons,
survey tools required, and sources of
information. Chapter 4 provides. guidance to the
people carrying out the survey, including data-
gathering before the inspections (pre-field data),
what to look for during the inspections (field
data), and how to determine the scores. Chapter
5 provides post-survey guidance for ranking the
buildings according to the scores obtained and
selecting a cut-off score for screening out
buildings that do not require detailed evaluation.
The key to the screening procedure is the
Seismic Screening Form at the end of this
manual (Appendix C) with filled-out examples
given in Appendix B.
1llis manual does not include detailed
information on how a particular community
should fund the survey, manage data, choose
personnel, or otherwise implement the survey
In a global sense, earthquakes result from
motion between plates comprising the Earth's
crust These plates are driven by the convective
motion of the material in the Earth's mantle,
which, in turn, is driven by heat generated at the
Earth's core. That is, just as in a heated pot of
water, heat from the Earth's core causes material
to rise to the Earth's surface. Forces between
the rising material and the Earth's crust cause the
plates to move. The resulting motions of the
plates relative to one another generate
earthquakes. Where the plates spread apart,
molten material emerges to fill the void. An
example is the ridge under the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean. Initially molten, this material
quickly cools and then, over millions of years,
this material is driven by newer material across
a major portion of the Earth's surface.
These large pieces of the Earth's surface,
termed tectonic plates, move very slowly and
irregularly. Forces may build up for decades or
centuries at the interface between plates (termed
faults), until a large movement occurs all at
once. These sudden violent motions produce the
shaking that is felt as an earthquake. The
shaking can cause direct damage to buildings,
roads, bridges, and other man-made structures, as
well as triggering fIfes, landslides, tidal waves
(tsunamis), and other damaging phenomena.
A fault is like a "tear" in the Earth's
crust and may be from one to over one hundred
kilometres deep. In some cases, faults are the
physical expression of the boundaries between
adjacent tectonic plates and thus may be
3
hundreds of kilometres long. In addition, there
may be thousands of shorter faults parallel to or
branching out from a main fault zone.
Generally, the longer a fault the larger the
earthquake it can generate. Beyond the main
tectonic plates, there are many smaller sub-
plates, "platelets" and simple blocks of crust
which occasionally move and shift due to the
"jostling" of their neighbours or the major plates.
The existence of these sub-plates means that
smaller but still damaging earthquakes are
possible almost anywhere, although perhaps with
less likelihood.
Besides the seismic sources at the
tectonic boundaries, such as on the west coast of
North and South America, seismic activity can
also occur within the tectonic plates due to local
faults and local buildup of stresses. Such intra-
plate seismic sources occur along the St
Lawrence Valley and the region extending from
north of Ottawa to Boston.
With the present understanding of the
earthquake-generating mechanism, the times,
sizes, and locations of earthquakes cannot be
reliably predicted. Generally, earthquakes are
concentrated near faults, and certain faults are
more likely than others to produce a large event,
but the earthquake-generating process is not
understood well enough to predict the exact time
of earthquake occurrence. Therefore,
communities must be prepared for an earthquake
to occur at any time.
Four major factors can affect the severity
of ground-shaking and thus potential damage at
a site. These are the size of the earthquake, the
type of earthquake, the distance from the source
of the earthquake to the site, and the types of
soil at the site. Larger earthquakes shake longer
and harder, and thus cause more damage.
Experience has shown that the ground motion
can be felt for several seconds to a minute or
longer. In preparing for earthquakes, both
horizontal (side to side) and vertical shaking
must be considered.
Generally, the farther from the source of
an earthquake, the less severe the motion. The
rate at which motion decreases with distance is
a function of the regional geology and inherent
characteristics of the earthquake and its source.
The underlying geology of the site can also have
a significant effect on the amplitude of the
ground motion. Soft loose soils tend to amplify
the ground motion and in many cases also make
it last longer. In such circumstances, building
damage can be accentuated. In the San
Francisco earthquake of 1906, damage was
greater in the areas where buildings were con-
structed on loose man-made fill and less at the
tops of the rocky hills. Even more dramatic was
the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. 1bis earth-
quake occurred 400 kilometres from the city, but
very soft soils beneath the city amplified the
ground-shaking enough to cause weaker mid-rise
buildings to collapse. Similar instances of
motion amplification with soft soil deposits were
also observed during the 1988 Saguenay earth-
quake in central Quebec and the 1989 Loma
Prieta earthquake near San Francisco. Sites with
rock close to or at the surface will be less likely
to amplify seismic motion. The type of motion
felt also changes with distance from the earth-
quake. Close to the source the motion tends to
be violent rapid shaking, whereas farther away
the motion is normally more of a swaying. As
expected, buildings will respond differently to
the rapid shaking than to the swaying motion.
There are many ways to describe the size
and severity of an earthquake and associated
ground-shaking. Perhaps the most familiar is
Richter magnitude. Richter magnitude is a
numerical description ofthe maximum amplitude
of ground movement measured by a seismograph
(adjusted to a standard setting). On the Richter
scale, the largest recorded earthquakes have had
magnitudes of about 8.5. It is a logarithmic
scale, and a unit increase in magnitude corres-
ponds approximately to a thirty-fold increase in
total energy of the earthquake.
A more objective measure of seismic
4
intensity at a site is the force or acceleration
caused by the ground motion. In this manual,
the peak horizontal ground acceleration (or
velocity) is employed as the measure of seismic
intensity. The peak horizontal ground
acceleration (or velocity) likely to occur during
the life of a building for any particular region of
Canada has been estimated (see Appendix A),
and the country divided into 7 seismic hazard
zones, 0 to 6. In conducting a survey of
seismically hazardous buildings for a specific
city, generally only one seismic zone will be
involved, while the real-estate holdings of a
particular owner may extend over many seismic
zones.
I.S Seismicity of Canada
It is evident from Figure 1-1 that some
parts of the country have experienced more and
larger earthquakes than others. The boundary
between the North-American and Pacific tectonic
plates occurs along the west coast of the United
States, Mexico, and Canada. The San Andreas
fault in California, the Juan de Fuca subduction
fault off Vancouver Island and the Aleutian
Trench off the coast of Alaska are part of this
boundary. These active seismic zones have
generated earthquakes with Richter magnitudes
greater than 8. There are many other smaller
fault zones throughout western Canada and the
United States that are also helping to release the
stress that is built up as the tectonic plates move
past one another. Because earthquakes always
occur along faults, the seismic hazard will be
greater for those population centres close to
active fault zones.
In the eastern part of Canada and the
United States, the cause of earthquakes is less
well understood. There is no plate boundary and
very few locations of faults are known.
Therefore, it is difficult to state where
earthquakes are most likely to occur.
Several significant historical earthquakes have
occurred, such as a major earthquake in New
Madrid, Missouri, in 1811 and 1812, indicating
that there is potential for very large earthquakes.
Smaller, but still damaging, earthquakes, up to
Richter magnitude 7, have occurred near the
St Lawrence and Ottawa rivers (recently
La Malbaie in 1926, Cornwall-Massena in 1944,
and Saguenay in 1988). However, most
earthquakes in the eastern part of the continent
are events of smaller magnitude. Because of
regional geologic differences, eastern and central
North-American earthquakes are felt at much
greater distances than those in the western part,
sometimes up to 1000 km away. In the central
part of Canada, no significant earthquake risk
exists; while in the Arctic regions, some
moderate seismic activity is predicted. However,
both the recorded history and instrumental data
of seismic activity in the Arctic is only very
recent
5
+.
Energy. Mine. end
Resourc8s CanAda
Goologlca' Su..-y
01 Canada
Mines el
Ressources Canada
Comml...... g6oIovIquo
du Cenadl
EARTHQUAKES LARGER THAN MAGNITUDE 3.0
TREMBLEMENTS DE TERRE DE MAGNITUDE 3.0
CANADA
SEISMICITY - SEISMICITE
1568 - 1989
eo
o
p..1\J'

o 0
o.
o
o 0
o
15681964
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......... (0 0
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Canada
Figure I-I: Seismicity in Canada
2
EARTHQUAKE BEHAVIOUR OF BUILDINGS
Many different types of damage can
occur in buildings. Damage can be divided into
two categories: structural damage and non-
structural damage, both of which can be
hazardous to building occupants. Structural
damage means degradation of the building's
structural support systems (Le., vertical and
lateral force-resisting systems), such as the
building frames and walls. Non-structural
damage refers to any damage that does not affect
the integrity of the structural support system.
Examples of non-structural damage can be asso-
ciated with failure of parapets, ornamentations,
masonry partitions, heavy equipment, such as
elevators, lifelines in critical facilities, etc. The
type of damage to be expected is a complex
issue that depends, among other factors, on the
structural type and age of the building, seismic
ground motion, ground conditions, the proximity
of the building to neighbouring buildings,
condition of the building, and the type of non-
structural elements. These possible contributions
to the hazard of the building will be discussed in
more detail below.
2.1 Earthquake EtTeets
When earthquake-shaking occurs, a
building gets thrown from side to side or up and
down. That is, while the ground is violently
moving from side to side, the building tends to
stay at rest, similar to a passenger standing on a
bus that accelerates quickly. Once the building
starts moving, it tends to continue in the same
direction, but by this time the ground is moving
back in the opposite direction (as if the bus
driver first accelerated quickly, then suddenly
braked). Thus the building gets thrown back and
forth by the motion of the ground, with some
parts of the building lagging behind and then
moving in the opposite direction. TIle force (F)
that the building sustains is related to its
mass(m) and the acceleration (a), according to
Newton's law, F=ma. The heavier the building,
the more force is exerted. Therefore, a tall,
heavy, reinforced-concrete building will be
subject to much more force than a lightweight
one-story wood-frame house, given the same
acceleration. Damage can be due to structural
members (beams and columns) being overloaded
or due to differential movements between
different parts of the structure. If the structure is
sufficiently strong to resist these forces or
differential movements, little damage will result.
If the structure cannot resist these forces or
differential movements, structural members will
be damaged, and collapse may occur.
Building damage is related to the
duration and the severity of the ground motion.
Larger earthquakes tend to shake longer and
harder and therefore cause more damage to
structures. Earthquakes with Richter magnitudes
less than 5 rarely cause significant damage to
buildings, since acceleration levels and duration
of shaking for these earthquakes are relatively
small. In addition to damage caused by ground
shaking, damage can be caused by buildings
pounding against one another, ground failure that
causes the degradation of the building
foundation, landslides, fires, and tidal waves
(tsunamis). Many of these "indirect" forms of
damage are not addressed in this manual.
7
The level of damage that results from a
major earthquake depends on how well a
building has been designed and constructed. The
exact type of damage cannot be predicted,
because no two buildings undergo identical
motion. However, there are some general trends
that have been observed in many earthquakes.
Post-earthquake investigation teams have found
that steel buildings perform significantly better
than those built of unreinforced masonry, for
example. New buildings generally sustain less
damage than older buildings designed to earlier
codes. The collapse of load-bearing walls that
support the entire structure is a common form of
damage in unreinforced masonry structures.
Roofs have collapsed in many older precast tilt-
up buildings. From a life-safety perspective,
vulnerable buildings need to be clearly identified
and strengthened or removed.
Each building has its own vibrational
characteristics that depend on building height and
structural type. Similarly, each earthquake has
its own characteristics that depend on the
geology of the site, distance from the source, and
the type and site of the earthquake source
mechanism. Sometimes the earthquake motion
causes a sympathetic response with the building,
termed resonance. Resonance, which occurs
when the frequency of earthquake excitation is
equal to the natUral frequency of the building,
will cause an increase in the amplitude of the
building's vibration and consequently increase
the potential for damage. Resonance was a
major problem in the 1985 Mexico City
earthquake, which resulted in the total collapse
of many mid-rise buildings.
2.2 How Earthquake Forces are Resisted
Buildings experience horizontal distortion
when subjected to earthquake motion. When
these distortions get large, the damage can be
catastrophic. Therefore, most buildings are
designed with lateral-force-resisting systems
(LFRS) to resist the effects of earthquake forces.
In many cases, LFRS make a building stiffer and
thus minimize the amount of lateral movement
and consequently the damage. LFRS are usually
capable of resisting only forces that result from
ground motions parallel to them. However, the
combined action of LFRS along the width and
length of a building can typically resist
earthquake motion from any direction. LFRS
differ from building to building, because the type
of system is controlled to some extent by the
basic layout and structural elements of the
building. Basically, LFRS consist of axial-
(tension or compression), shear- ,and bending-
resistant elements.
In wood-frame stud-wall buildings,
plywood siding is typically used to prevent
excessive lateral deflection. Without the extra
strength provided by the plywood, walls would
distort excessively or "rack", resulting in broken
windows and stuck doors. In older wood-frame
buildings, this resistance to lateral loads is
provided by either wood or steel bracing.
The earthquake-resisting systems in
modem steel buildings take many forms. Many
types of diagonal bracing configurations have
been used. Examples of the use of single
diagonal braces, cross-bracing, and K-bracing are
shown in Figure 2-1. Moment-resisting steel
frames are also capable of resisting lateral loads.
In this type of construction, the connections
between the beams and the columns are designed
to resist the rotation of the column relative to the
beam. Thus, the beam and the column work
together and resist lateral movement by bending.
This is different from the braced frame, where
loads are resisted through tension and
compression forces in the braces. Steel buildings
are sometimes constructed with moment-resistant
frames in one direction and braced frames in the
other.
In concrete structures, shear walls are
sometimes used to provide lateral resistance, in
addition to moment-resisting frames. Ideally,
these shear walls are continuous reinforced-
concrete walls extending from the foundation to
8
SINGLE DIAGONAL DOUBLE DIAGONAL
BEAM SPECIALLY
REINFORCED AT
JOINT

ECCENTRIC
IIV
'l
/
/
/
K-TRUSS ECCENTRIC BRACED FRAME
BRACED FRAMES
Figure 2-1: Types of Bracing
9
the roof of the building, and can be exterior
walls or interior walls. They are interconnected
with the rest of the concrete frame, and thus
resist the motion of one floor relative to another.
Shear walls can also be constructed of reinforced
brick or reinforced hollow-concrete block.
2.3 Types of Building Structures and Typical
Earthquake Damage
are described and illustrated here to provide an
overview of existing structural systems. The
model building types listed in Table 2-1 are
classified primarily according to the vertical
elements of the structural systemof the particular
building. The typical earthquake performances
and expected type of damage of the different
systems are also discussed.
Different types of common construction
my
Dominant Material Description of Type of Structure Symbol
WOOD Wood, tight Frame WLF
Wood, Post and Beam WPB
S1EEL Steel Moment Frame SMF
Steel Braced Frame SBF
Steel tight Frame SLF
Steel Frame with Concrete Shear Walls sew
Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Shear SIW
Walls
CONCRElE Concrete Moment Frame CMF
Concrete Shear Walls CSW
Concrete Frame with Inflll Masonry CIW
Shear Walls
Precast Concrete Frame PCP
Precast Concrete Wall PCW
MASONRY RM Bearing Walls with Wood or Metal RML
Deck Diaphragms
RM Bearing Walls with Concrete Diaphragms RMC
Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing-Wall URM
Buildings
Note: KM = KemIorcea Maso
Table 2-1: List of Building Types
Wood Light Frame (WLF): WLF
buildings are typically apartment, commercial, or
office buildings with a total floor area greater
than 600 m
2
or exceeding three storeys in height
(They are covered by Part 4 of the NBC.) The
vertical framing is of stud-wall construction,
braced with diagonals, plywood, or equivalent.
Loads are light and spans are small.
10
Stud walls are typically constructed of
5- by ID-cm (2- by 4-in.) wood members verti-
cally set about 40 em apart (Figure 2-2). These
walls are braced by plywood or waferboard or by
diagonals made of wood or steel.
Stud-wall buildings have performed very
well in past earthquakes because of inherent
qualities of the structural system and because
they are lightweight and low-rise. Cracks in the
plaster and stucco may appear, but these seldom
degrade the strength of the building. In fact, this
type of damage dissipates a lot of the
earthquake-induced energy. The most common
type of structural damage in older buildings
results from a lack of connection between the
superstructure and the foundation. Houses can
slide off their foundations if they are not
properly bolted to the foundation, resulting in
major damage to the building as well as to
plumbing and electrical connections. In many
municipalities, modem codes require wood
structures to be bolted to their foundations.
However, the year that this practice was adopted
will differ from community to community and
should be checked
Many of the older wood-stud frame
buildings have either DO foundations or weak
foundations constructed ofunreinforced masonry
or poorly reinforced concrete. These foundations
have poor shear resistance and can fail.
Garages often have a very large door
opening in one wall with little or no bracing,
creating what is generally referred to as a soft
storey. This wall has almost no resistance to
lateral forces, which is a problem if a heavy load
such as a number of storeys sits on top of the
garage. Apartment buildings built over garages
have sustained significant amounts of damage in
past earthquakes, with many collapses.
Therefore, this type of configuration should be
examined more carefully and perhaps
strengthened
Some wood-frame structures, especially
older buildings, have masonry veneers that may
represent another hazard. The veneer usually
consists of one wythe of brick (a wythe is a term
denoting the width of one brick) attached to the
stud wall. In older buildings, the veneer is either
insufficiently attached or has poor quality mortar,
which often results in the veneer peeling off
during moderate and large earthquakes.
Unreinforced masonry chimneys may
also represent a life-safety problem. 'They are
often inadequately tied to the building and
therefore fall when strongly shaken. On the
other hand, chimneys of reinforced masonry
generally perform well.
Wood, Post, and Beam (WPB): Post-
and-beam wood construction is often used in
commercial and industrial buildings. These are
generally larger buildings, such as warehouses,
offices, churches, theatres, fire stations, or even
large gas stations. This type of construction
consists of larger rectangular - 15 by 15 cm (6
by 6 in.) and larger - or sometimes circular
wood columns framed together with large wood
beams or trusses. 'The structure is encased by
different types of external walls, including
masonry and stone veneers.
TImber pole buildings are a less common
form of construction. They are more often
subject to wood deterioration due to the exposure
of the columns, particularly near the ground
surface. Together with an often-found soft
storey in this building type, this deterioration
may contribute to unsatisfactory seismic
performance.
Post-and-beam buildings tend to perform
well in earthquakes, if adequately braced.
However, walls often do not have sufficient
bracing to resist horizontal motion and thus they
may deform excessively.
These types of construction often have
different types of external walls including
masonry or fake stone veneers, which represent
another hazard.
11
Rooflfloor span systems:
1. wood joist and rafter
2. diagonal sheathing
3. straight sheathing
Wall systems:
4. stud wall (platform or balloon framed)
5. horizontal siding
10
mill
9
Foundatiorv' connections:
6. unbraced cripple wall
7. concrete foundation
8. brick foundation
Bracing and details:
9. unreinforced brick chimney
10. diagonal blocking
11. let-in brace (only in later vintages)
Figure 2-2: Wood Light Frame (WLF)
12
If this type of building has substantial
plywood shear walls, it should be classified as
light wood frame (WLF).
Steel Frame Buildings: Steel frame
buildings tend to be more satisfactory in their
earthquake resistance compared to other structure
types because of their strength, flexibility and
lightness. Collapse in earthquakes has been very
rare, although steel frame buildings did collapse,
for example, in the 1985 Mexico City
earthquake. In the earthquakes in the United
States, these buildings have performed quite
well, and probably will not collapse unless
subjected to extremely severe ground-shaking.
Possible damage includes:
Typical steel moment-resisting frame
structures usually have similar bay widths in
both the transverse and longitudinal direction,
around 7 to 10 m. The load-bearing frame
consists of beams and columns distributed
throughout the building. The floor diaphragms
are usually concrete, sometimes over steel
decking. Moment-resisting frame strucwres built
since 1950 tend to incorporate prefabricated
panels hung onto the structural frame as the
exterior finish. These panels may be precast
concrete, stone or masonry veneer, metal, glass,
or plastic. This structural type is used for
commercial, institutional, and other public
buildings. It is seldom used for low-rise
residential buildings.
1.
2.
Non-strucwral damage to elements such
as interior partitions, equipment, and
exterior cladding, resulting from
excessive deflections in frame structures;
Cladding and exterior finish material can
fall if insufficiently or incorrectly
connected;
Old steel-frame strucwres are usually
clad or infilled with unreinforced masonry, such
as bricks, hollow clay tiles, and terra cotta tiles
(see type SIW for a detailed discussion). Other
frame buildings of this period are encased in
concrete. Both wood and concrete floor or roof
diaphragms are common for these older
buildings.
3. Permanent displacements caused by
plastic deformation of structural
members;
4. Pounding with adjacent structures can
occur.
Steel Moment Frame (SMF): This type
has a frame of steel columns and beams (see
Figure 2-3). In some cases, the beam-column
connections have very small moment-resisting
capacity; in other cases, some of the beams and
columns are fully developed as moment frames
to resist lateral forces. Usually the structure is
concealed on the outside by exterior walls, which
can be of almost any material: curtain walls,
brick masonry, or precast-concrete panels; and
on the inside, covered by ceilings and column
furring.
Steel Braced Frame (SBF): Braced
steel-frame structures (Figure 2-4) have been
built since the late 1800s with similar usage and
exterior finish as the steel moment frame
buildings. Braced frames are sometimes used for
long and narrow buildings because of their
stiffness. Although these buildings are braced
with diagonal members, the bracing members
usually cannot be detected from the building
exterior.
In concentric braced frames, the lateral
forces or loads are resisted by the tensile and
compressive strength of the bracing (see Figure
2-4). A recent development in seismic bracing
is the eccentric brace. Here the bracing is
slightly offset from the main beam-to-column
connection, and the short section of beam is
expected to deform significantly under major
seismic forces and thereby dissipate a
considerable portion of the energy.
13
Figure 23 St I M
. ee oment Frame (SMF)
14
Figure 2-4: Steel Braced Frame (SBF)
15
Steel Light Frame (SLF): Most light-
-frame buildings existing today were built after
1950 (Figure 2-5). They are used for
agricultural structures, industrial factories, and
warehouses. TIley are typically one storey in
height, sometimes without interior columns, and
often enclose a large floor area. Construction is
typically of steel frames spanning the short
dimension of the building and resisting lateral
forces as moment frames. Forces in the long
direction are usually resisted by diagonal steel-
-rod bracing. These buildings are usually clad
with lightweight siding.
Because these buildings are low-rise,
lightweight, and constructed of steel members,
they usually perform relatively well in
earthquakes. Collapses do not usually occur.
Some typical problems:
1. Insufficient capacity of tension braces
can lead to their elongation and, in turn,
to building damage;
2. Inadequate connection to the foundation
can allow the building columns to slide;
3. Loss of cladding can occur.
1. Shear cracking and distress can occur
around openings in concrete shear walls;
2. Wall construction joints can be weak
planes, resulting in wall shear failure
below expected capacity;
3. Insufficient lap lengths in vertical
reinforcing steel can lead to wall
bending failures.
Steel Frame with Innll Masonry Shear
Walls (SIW): This construction type (Figure 2-
7) consists of a steel structural frame and walls
infilled with unreinforced masonry (URM). In
older buildings, the diaphragms are often wood.
More recent buildings have reinforced concrete
floors. Because of the masonry infill, the
structure tends to be very stiff. In major
earthquakes, the inf111 walls may suffer
substantial cracking and deterioration, thus
reducing their stiffness. This, in turn, puts
additional demands on the frame. Some of the
walls may fail while others remain intact, which
may result in torsion or soft-storey problems.
The hazard from falling masonry is significant as
these buildings can be taller than 20 storeys.
Typical damage:
Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
Walls (Sew): The construction of this
structural type (Figure 2-6) is similar to that of
the steel moment-resisting frame in that a matrix
of steel columns and girders is distributed
throughout the structure. The joints, however,
are not designed for moment resistance, and the
lateral forces are resisted by concrete shear walls.
The shear walls can be part of the
elevator/service core, exterior walls or interior
walls. This type of structure performs as well in
earthquakes as other steel buildings. Some
typical types of damage:
1.
2.
3.
1nf111 walls tend to buckle and fall out-
of-plane when subjected to strong lateral
forces. Because the infill walls are non-
load-bearing, they tend to be thin
(around 23 cm or 9 in. maximum) and
do not have additional shear strength
because of compression from above.
Veneer masonry around columns or
beams is usually poorly anchored to the
structural members and can disengage
and fall.
Interior infill partitions and other non-
structural elements can be severely
damaged and collapse.
16
CORRUGATED METAL SKIN:
LIGHTWEIGHT PURLINS TYP.
DIAPHRAGM
TIE-ROD
BRACING
TRANSVERSE STEEL
MOMENT-RESISTANT
FRAMES
LONGITUDINAL
TIE-ROD
BRACING
TYP.
Figure 2-5: Steel Light Frame (SLF)
17
Figure 2-6: Steel Frame with Concrete Shear Walls (SCW)
18
Roof/floor span systems:
1. steel framing with concrete colier
2. wood floor joist and diaphragm
(diagonal and straight)
6
Details:
5. unreinforced and unbraced parapet and cornice
6. solid party walls
Wall systems:
3. nonloadbearing concrete wall
4. non-load-bearing unreinforced
masonry cover wall
o [] [] OJ [] OJ DllJl [ED rn [l]
Openings and wall penetrations:
7. window penetrated front facade
8. large openings of street level shops
Figure 2-7: Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Shear Walls (SIW)
19
1. Large tie spacings in columns can lead
to a lack of concrete confinement or
shear failure.
2. Placement of inadequate rebar splices at
the same location can lead to column
failure.
3. Insufficient shear strength in columns
can lead to shear failure prior to the
development of moment hinge capacity.
Concrete Moment Frame (CMF): Two
construction subtypes fall under this category:
(a) non-ductile reinforced-concrete frames
without reinforced infill walls, and (b) ductile
reinforced-eoncrete frames. TIle most prevalent
of these are non-ductile reinforced concrete
frame structures without reinforced infill walls
built between about 1950 and 1972 (Figure 2-8).
In many regions of Canada, this type of
construction continues to the present. This group
includes large multi-storey commercial,
institutional, and residential buildings constructed
using flat-slab frames, waffle-slab frames, and
the standard girder-eolumn-type frames. These
structures generally are more massive than steel-
frame buildings, are under-reinforced (i.e., have
insufficient reinforcing steel embedded in the
concrete) and display low ductility. Some
typical problems:
Lack of continuous beam reinforcement
can result in hinge formation during load
reversal.
Insufficient shear tie anchorage can lead
to premature brittle failure in shear or
compression.
The relatively low stiffness of the frame
can lead to substantial non-structural
damage.
Inadequate reinforcing of beam-column
joints or location of beam bar splices at
columns can lead to failures.
6.
5.
4.
7.
8. Pounding damage with adjacent
buildings can occur.
Concrete Shear Wall (CSW): This
category consists of buildings with a concrete
wall structural system or frame structures with
shear walls (Figure 2-9). TIle entire structure,
along with the usual concrete diaphragm, is
typically cast-in-place. Such "box" systems were
often used in schools, churches and industrial
buildings. Frame buildings with shear walls tend
to be commercial and industrial. A common
example of the latter type is a warehouse with
perimeter concrete walls.
This building type generally tends to
Recently built concrete moment frames
are required to have special reinforcing details in
order to achieve satisfactory ductility. This has
been required in the high seismic zones in
Canada since the mid-1970s.
Concrete shear-wall buildings constructed
since the early 19508 tend to' be institutional,
commercial, and residential buildings, ranging
from one to more than thirty storeys. Residential
buildings of this type are often mid-rise towers.
The shear walls in these newer buildings can be
located along the perimeter, as interior partitions,
or around the service core.
Soft storey, where infill walls exist in
the upper storeys but not at the ground
floor. The difference in stiffness creates
a large demand at the ground floor
columns, causing structural damage.
When the earthquake forces are very
high, the steel frame itself can fail
locally. Connections between members
are usually not designed for high lateral
loads (except in tall buildings) and can
lead to damage. Although complete
collapse has seldom occurred, it cannot
be ruled out.
4.
5.
20
Root/floor diaphragms:
1. concrete waHle slab
2. concrete joist and slab
.3. steel decking with concrete topping
Curtain walV non-structural intill:
4. masonry in/ill walls
5. stone panels
6. metal skin panels
7. glass panels
8. precast concrete panels
Structural system:
9. distributed concrete frame
Details:
10. typical tall first floor (soft story)
Figure 2-8: Concrete Moment Frame (CMF)
21
Roof/floor span systems:
1. heavy timber rafter roof
2. concrete joist and slab
3. concrete flat slab
1
Wall system:
4. interior and exterior concrete
bearingwaJ1s
5. large window penetrations of
school and hosphal buildings
lD ill
lD ill
ID ill
3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I tIl 91 OJ5OJ OJ rn ID ID rnm mm mml
[] [] [] OJ OJ [l] 1Il [I] rn mmmmmm
r n m m I m U ~
Figure 2-9: Concrete Shear Wall (CSW)
22
perform better than concrete frame buildings.
They are quite heavy relative to steel frame
buildings, but they are also stiff due to the
presence of shear walls. Some types of damage
commonly observed in taller buildings are caused
by vertical discontinuities, pounding, or irregular
configuration. Other damage specific to this
building type:
1. Shear cracking and distress can occur
around openings in concrete shear walls
. during large seismic events.
height. Beams are often Ts and double Ts, or
rectangular sections. Pre-stressing of the
members, including pre-tensioning and post-
tensioning, is often used.
The earthquake performance of this
structural type varies greatly and is sometimes
poor. This type of building can perform well if
the details used to connect the structural
elements have sufficient strength and ductility
(toughness). Some of the problem areas specific
to precast frames:
Concrete Frame with 10011 Shear
WaIls (CIW): This category consists of
buildings with a concrete frame with
unreinforced-masonry or reinforced-masonry
infill walls (Figure 2-10). These buildings tend to
have larger members, although the amount and
detailing of reinforcement is more in question.
These concrete frames have been used for
commercial as well as industrial structures, and
are generally more than three storeys tall. The
hazards of these older buildings are similar to
and perhaps more severe than those of the newer
frames. Where unreinforced-masonry (URM)
infill is present, a falling hazard exists. The
failure mechanism of URM infill in a concrete
frame is the same as the steel frame infill.
5. Connections at bases of precast columns
and wall panels may be inadequate.
4. Corrosion of metal connectors between
prefabricated elements can occur.
Structures of this type which employ
cast-in-place concrete shear wall for lateral load
resistance should be treated as concrete shear
walls (CSW).
Poorly designed connections between
prefabricated elements can fail.
Accumulated stresses or gaps can result
because of shrinkage and creep.
1.
3. Loss of vertical support can occur due to
inadequate bearing area or insufficient
connection between floor diaphragm
elements, beams, wall panels, and
columns.
2.
Shear failure can occur at wall
construction joints usually at a load level
below the expected capacity.
Bending failures can result from
insufficient chord steel lap lengths.
2.
3.
Precast-Concrete Frames (PCF):
Precast concrete-frame construction, first
developed in the 19308, was not widely used
until the 19608. The precast frame (Figure 2-11)
is essentially a post-and-beam system in concrete
where columns, beams, and slabs are
prefabricated and assembled on site. Various
types of members are used. Vertical load-
carrying elements may be Ts, cross shapes, or
arches and are often more than one storey in
Precast Concrete Walls (PCW): Most
of these use the tilt-up construction method. In
traditional tilt-up buildings' (Figure 2-12),
concrete wall panels are cast on the ground and
then tilted upward into their fmal position. More
recently, wall panels are fabricated off site and
trucked in. The wall panels are welded together
or held in place by cast-in-place columns or steel
columns, depending on the region. The floor
and roof beams are often glue-laminated wood or
steel open-webbed joists attached to the
23
UNREINFORCED-
MASONRY
INFILLWALL
~ ~ :. ~
......
'0" .::
: Clo :'
",. ".
0, _.,
' .....
". ~
". i'.\
:.. ,,:.
'. '-
'f> :'
REINFORCED-
CONCRETE
FRAME
1>',
, 1
" .
~
Figure 210: Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry Shear Walls (CIW)
24
Roof/floor span systems:
1. structural concrete T-sections
2. structural double T-sections
3. hollow-core concrete slab
Wall systems:
4. load-bearing frame components (cross)
5. muhi-story load-bearing panels
Curtain wall system:
6. precast concrete panels
7. metal, glass, or stone panels
Structural system:
8. precast column and beams
Figure 2-11: Precast Concrete Frame (PCF)
25
Rooflfloor span systems:
1. glue Iiminated beam and joist
2. wood truss
3. light steel -web joist
Rooflfloor diaphragms:
4. plywood sheathing
7
Details:
5. anchor-bolted wooden ledger
for roof/floor support
Wall systems:
6. cast-in-place columns--
square, T-shape, and H-shape
7. welded-steel-plate-type panel connection
Figure 2-12: Precast Concrete Walls (PCW) (Tilt-up
construction may incorporate steel
frame with precast wall systems)
26
J
tilt-up wall panels; these panels may be load-
bearing or non-load-bearing depending on the
region. These buildings tend to be low-rise
industrial or office buildings.
Many tilt-up buildings do not have
sufficiently strong connections or anchors
between the walls and the roof and floor
diaphragms. During an earthquake, weak
anchors pullout of the walls, causing the floors
or roofs to collapse. The connections between
concrete panels are also vulnerable to failure.
Without these connections, the building loses
much of its lateral-force-resisting capacity. For
these reasons, many tilt-up buildings were
damaged in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake.
Since 1975, tilt-up construction practices have
changed in seismic areas of Canada, requiring
positive wall-diaphragm connection. However,
a large number of these older, pre-I97Os vintage
tilt-up buildings still exist and have not been
retrofitted to correct this wall-anchor defect.
Damage to these buildings was observed again in
the 1987 Whittier, California, earthquake. These
buildings are a prime source of seismic hazards.
In areas of low or moderate seismicity,
inadequate wall anchor details continue to be
employed. Severe ground-shaking in such an
area may produce major damage in many tilt-up
buildings.
Reinforced-Masonry Bearing Walls
with Wood or Metal Deck: Diaphragms
(RML): Reinforced-masonry buildings are
mostly low-rise perimeter bearing-wall structures,
often with wood diaphragms, although steel deck
is sometimes used Floor and roof assemblies
usually consist of timber joists and beams, glue-
laminated beams or light steel joists. The
bearing walls consist of grouted and reinforced
hollow or solid masonry units. Interior supports,
if any, are often wood or steel columns, wood-
stud frames or masonry walls. The occupancy of
this building type varies greatly from small
commercial buildings to residential and industrial
buildings. Generally, they are less than five
storeys in height, although many mid-rise
masonry buildings exist.
Reinforced-masonry buildings can
perform well in moderate earthquakes, if they are
adequately reinforced and grouted and if
sufficient diaphragm anchorage exists. A major
problem is control of the workmanship during
construction. Poor construction practice can
result in ungrouted and unreinforced walls.
These conditions led to several collapses in the
1964 Alaska earthquake. Where construction
practice is adequate, insufficient reinforcement
can be responsible for heavy damage of the
walls. The lack of positive connection of the
floor/roof diaphragm to the wall is also a
problem.
Reinforced-Masonry Bearing Walls
With Concrete Diaphragms (RMC):
Reinforced-masonry buildings also have concrete
diaphragms (floor and roof construction). The
rest of the information is similar to that
presented for RML. The poor anchorage and
connections of precast concrete diaphragms can
be responsible for earthquake-related damage.
Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing-Wall
u i l i n ~ (URM): Most unreinforced-masonry
(URM) bearing-wall structures in western
Canada and Quebec were built before the 19408
(Figures 2-13 a,b,c), although this construction
type was built in some jurisdictions having
moderate or high seismicity until the late 19408
or late 19508. These buildings usually range
from one to six storeys in height and typically
function as commercial, residential, and
industrial buildings. The construction varies
according to the type of use, although wood
floor and roof diaphragms are 'common in older
buildings. Smaller commercial and residential
buildings usually have light wood floor/roof
joists supported on the typical perimeter URM
wall and interior load-bearing wood partitions.
Larger buildings, such as industrial warehouses,
have heavier floors and interior columns, usually
of wood. The bearing walls of these industrial
buildings tend to be thick, often as much as
27
Roof/floor span systems:
1. wood post and beam (heavy timber)
2. wood post, beam, and joist (mill construction)
3. wood truss-- pitch and curve
Rooflfloor diaphragms:
4. diagonal sheathing
5. straight sheathing
3
1
~
~ ~ ~
9
Details:
6. typical unbraced parapet and comice
7. flat arch window opennings
Wall systems:
8. bearing wall- four or more wythes of brick
9. typical long solid party waD
Figure 2-13a: Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing WaIl (URM)
28
Root/floor span systems:
1. wood post and beam (heavy timber)
2. wood post. beam, and joist (mill construction)
3. wood truss-- pitch and curve
7
ED
Root/floor diaphragms:
4. diagonal sheathing
5. straight sheathing
Wall systems:
9. bearing wall- four to eight wythes of brick
Details:
6. typical unbraced parapet and cornice
7. flat arch window opennings
8. small window penetrations (if bldg is originally a warehouse)
Figure 2-13b: Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing Wall (URM)
29
Rooflfloor span systems:
1. wood post and beam (heavy timber)
2. wood post. beam, and joist (mill construction)
3
7
Details:
5. typical unbraced parapet and cornice
6. flat arch window opennings
7. typical penetrated facade of residential buildings
8. large opennings of ground floor shops
Rooflfloor diaphragms:
3. diagonal sheathing
4. straight sheathing
WaH systems:
9. bearing wall- four to eight wythes of brick
10. typical long sofld party wall
11. UghtlVentilation wells In residential bldg
12. non-structural wood stud partition walls
Figure 2-13c: Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing WaIl (URM)
30
61 em (24 in.) or more at the base. Wall
thicknesses of residential buildings range from
23 cm (9 in.) at upper floors to 46 em (18 in.) at
lower floors.
cause the masonry wall to collapse under
its own weight This problem is less
serious in medium seismic zones.
Unreinforced-masonry structures are
recognized as perhaps the most hazardous
structural type. 1bey have been observed to fail
in many modes during past earthquakes. Typical
problems:
1. Insufficient Anchorage - Because the
walls, parapets, and cornices were not
positively anchored to the floors, they
tend to fallout The collapse of bearing
walls can lead to major building
collapses. Some of these buildings have
anchors either as a part of the original
construction or as a retrofit These older
anchors exhibit questionable
performance.
2.
3.
4.
Wall Slenderness - Some of these
buildings have tall storey heights and
thin walls. This condition, especially in
non-load-bearing walls, will result in
buckling out-of-plane under severe
lateral load. Failure of a non-Ioad-
bearing wall represents a falling hazard.
whereas the collapse of a load-bearing
wall will lead to partial or total collapse
of the structure.
Low Shear Resistance - TIle mortar used
in these older buildings is often made of
lime and sand, with little or no cement,
and has very little shear strength. 1he
bearing walls will be heavily damaged
and may collapse under large loads.
Excessive Diaphragm Deflection -
Because most of the floor diaphragms
are constructed of wood sheathing, they
are very flexible and permit large out-of-
plane deflection at the wall transverse to
the direction of the force. TIle large
drift, occurring at the roof line, can
2.4 Configuration Problems
Configuration, or the general vertical or
horizontal shape of buildings, is an important
factor in earthquake performance and damage.
Buildings that have simple, regular, symmetric
configurations generally display the best
performance in earthquakes. The reasons for this
are (1) non-symmetric buildings tend to twist in
addition to shaking laterally, and (2) the various
wings of a building tend to act independently,
resulting in differential movements, cracking and
other damage. - Rotational motion introduces
additional damage, especially at re-entrant or
internal comers of the building. Figure 2-14
shows some symmetric and asymmetric building
plans.
The term "configuration" also refers to
the geometry of lateral-load-resisting systems as
well as the geometry of the building.
Asymmetry can exist in the placement of bracing
systems, shear walls, or moment-resisting frames
that are used to provide earthquake resistance in
a building. This type of asymmetry can result in
twisting or differential motion, with the same
consequences mentioned in the previous
paragraph. Some examples of symmetric and
non-symmetric placement oflatera1-10ad-resisting
systems are shown in Figure 2-15. The situation
shown in Figure 2-15 is common in corner
buildings that have two walls. that are mostly
glass on the street s.ides and two concrete or
brick walls facing the alley or adjacent buildings.
2.5 Non-Structural Hazards
'Non-structural' is the name given to the
building components that are usually designed by
the architect or the mechanical and electrical
engineers and shown on their drawings. They
31
Symmetry In Plan
Asymmetry In Plan
D
_I
irregularity In Elevation
Figure 2-14: Building Configuration: Symmetry, Asymmetry, and
Irregularity
32
Asymmetry
-
D
I
Symmetry
(a) \
Major Lateral )
Load-Resisting
Elements (typ)
(b)
D
(c)
D D
Figure 2-15: Symmetry and Asymmetry of Load-Resisting Systems
33
can be divided into two groups associated with
building exterior and interior.
Investigation of non-structural elements
can be time-consuming and should be done
during a detailed seismic evaluation of the
particular building. However, the screening
process should also include a review of certain
characteristics of non-structural building
components.
2.5.1 Exterior Non-Structural Components
(a) Exterior Qadding or Veneers and
Window Glass: Exterior wall panel or
cladding and window glass can fall onto
the storefronts, streets, sidewalks and
adjacent properties, if their connectors to
the building structure have insufficient
strength or sometimes ductility.
(b)
It is also important to consider partitions
adjacent to entrances and exits of
buildings, since failure of these partitio
ns may prevent escape from the
building, which is a threat to life safety.
Mechanical and Electrical Equipment:
Mechanical and electrical equipment
items, such as pumps, fans, piping,
duets, and electrical panels, when well-
attached to the walls or floors, generally
perform well during earthquakes.
However, rigid piping and their supports
and hinges may fail. Electrical or
mechanical equipment may overturn.
Equipment well-attached can move
horirontally and impact other items and
more than likely cease to function. The
danger of starting a fire by such
displacements should not be overlooked.
2.5.2 Interior Non-Structural Components
(b)
(a)
Parapets, Cornices, Ornamentations
and Other Appendages: Parapets and
other such appendages are very
vulnerable during earthquakes. Falling
masonry parapets caused death to
passing pedestrians during past
earthquakes. These architectural features
are usually of a non-structural type and
can receive substantial motion
amplification that causes them to fail.
Non-Structural Partition Walls:
Partitions of different types of material
(masonry and tile, studs and gypsum
board or plaster, demountable partitions
of metal, wood, or glass) may be
destroyed, overturned, cracked, or
separated from the remainder of
partitions. However, only the
unsupported heavy partitions are
considered life-threatening.
(c)
Counterweights of elevators may be
separated from rails and may cause
damage to structural elements, cables
and cabs and render the elevators
inoperative.
Failure of mechanical and electrical
equipment is generally less of a threat to
life. However, such failure can seriously
impair the functioning of buildings after
the disaster .
Interior Storage Water Tanks and
Pre&mre Vessels: Tanks and pressure
vessels may fall from their supports and
cause severe damage to floors and other
structural elements. They are, however,
considered life-threatening only when
they carry hot or corrosive materials or
when their failure causes other main
structural elements to fail.
34
3
GENERAL SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
3.1 Survey Implementation Sequence number)
Several steps are involved in collecting
data, and planning and performing a rapid scree-
ning of potentially seismically hazardous buil-
dings. As a first step, a general procedure
should be approved. second, the appropriate
people should be informed about the purpose of
the survey and how it will be carried out Then
there are many decisions to be made, such as use
of the survey results and actions to be taken.
These decisions are very specific to each
application of the procedure described in this
manual.
The general sequence of implementing
. the survey methodology presented in this manual
consists of:
budget development and cost estimation
selection of buildings to be surveyed
development of mapping system for survey
areas
walking around building
photographing the building for identification
purposes
walking through the building and sketching
the floor plan
. noting basic data (number of storeys, structural
system and materials, major problems, etc.)
determining the score (seismic priority index)
for the building according to the procedure
presented
This sequence may be altered where field
inspection is replaced by inspection of drawings.
General aspects of planning and
implementation are discussed in this chapter.
Chapter 4 then gives a detailed description of
what to look for and how to use the seismic
screening form.
selection of information sources to be included
in survey and used in decision-making 3.2 Budget Development and Cost
Estimation .
development of record-keeping system
training of survey personnel
selection and review of seismic screening form
pre-field data collection
identification of structure (e.g., address, lot
Many of the decisions that are made
about the level of detail of the rapid visual
screening procedure will depend upon budget
constraints. It is important to realize that,
although the procedure is designed so that field
inspections of each building should take
approximately one hour, time and funds should
35
be allocated for pre-field data collection. Pre-
field data collection can be time-consuming (10
to 30 minutes per building depending on the
information sources). However, pre-field data
collection can be extremely useful in reducing
field time and increasing the reliability of data
collected in the field A good example of this
would be the age, or design date, of a building.
This might be readily available from the building
drawings or building department files but is
much more difficult to estimate from a site visit
Another is ground conditions which might be
obtainable from geotechnical maps. Because
pre-field data collection could be a significant
factor in budget allocations, it should be
considered in the planning phase.
Other factors that should be considered
in cost estimation are training of personnel and
the development and administration of a record-
keeping system for the survey process. The type
of record-keeping system selected will be a
function of existing procedures and available
funds as well as the ultimate goal of the survey.
3.3 Pre-Field Planning
It may be decided, due to budget, time,
or other types .of constraints, that priorities
should be set and certain buildings surveyed
immediately, whereas others can be surveyed at
a later time, because they do not pose immediate
life-safety issues. An area may be selected
because it has a higher density of potentially
seismically hazardous buildings relative to other
areas. For example, an older part of a
community that consists mainly of commercial
unreinforcecl-masonry buildings may be of a
higher priority than a newer area with mostly
warehouse facilities, or a residential section of .
the city consisting of wood-frame dwellings.
A mapping system for the survey areas
is extremely important in the initial planning
phase as well as in the scheduling of inspectors.
Maps of soil {X'ofiles, liquefaction potential,
landslide potential, and active faults provide
useful information about the relative hazard in
different areas. Maps of lots will be useful in
scheduling inspectors and, as data are collected,
identifying areas with many potentially
hazardous buildings.
Another important phase of pre-field
planning is interaction with local building
officials. Discussions should include verification
of when certain aspects of seismic design and
detailing were adopted and enforced by the
municipality (see Section 4.2.3). This will be
used to determine the scoring factors and fmal
score for each building.
As discussed in the previous section, the
record-keeping system will vary for each project
depending on needs, goals, budgets, and other
constraints; it may, in fact, consist of several
systems. Part of this planning phase may
include deciding how buildings are to be
identified. Some suggestions are street address,
tax assessor's parcel number, and lot number, or
owner. Consideration should be given to
developing a computerized database. The
advantage here is that lists of potentially
hazardous buildings and their owners are easily
generated The disadvantage is that graphical
data such as sketches and photographs are not
easily stored in the computer. Microfilm is a
good storage medium because photographs,
building plans, survey forms and subsequent
follow-up documentation can be kept together
and easily copied. Another method that has been
used is to generate a separate file for each
building as it is surveyed, containing the
saeening form and all support material and
photographs. A disadvantage of this system is
that the files rapidly grow and become
unmanageable.
3.4 Training of Personnel
It is anticipated that a training program
will be required to ensure the quality of the data
36
and uniformity of decisions among inspection
personnel. Training should include discussions
of basic lateral-force-resisting systems with
building components attached to them and how
they behave when sUbjected to seismic loads,
how to use the screening form, what to look for
in the field, and how to account for uncertainty.
In addition,in conjunction with a professional
engineer experienced in seismic design,
inspectors should simultaneously survey
buildings of several different types and compare
results. 'This will serve as a calibration for the
inspectors.
3.5 Review of Seismic Screening Fonn
The seismic screening form is meant to
be a model that may be adopted and used as it is
presented in this manual, or it may be modified
according to the specific application. Therefore,
another aspect of the survey planning process is
to review the screening form to determine if all
required data are represented or if modifications
should be made to include additional categories.
, For example, occupancy classes such as "parking
structure" or "multi-family residential" may be
added to the form. There may be other types of
data that should be noted to fulfill the goals of
the survey. At this stage, a decision should be
made as to how uncertainty should be treated
(see Section 45). The screening procedure
should not be modified without input from a
professional engineer familiar with earthquake-
resistant design and construction practices of the
local community.
3.6 Survey Tools to be Taken into the Field
'The screening procedure is intended to
be rapid, simple, and standardized as to data
collection. Relatively few tools or equipment are
needed. 'The following is a checklist of items
that may be needed in performing a rapid visual
survey as described in this manual:
. Clipboard for holding survey forms
pen or pencil
camera, preferably instant (e.g., Polaroid)
flashlight
tape or stapler (for affIXing photo)
straight edge (optional for drawing sketches)
copy of manual
a simple hand calculator
3.7 Infonnation Sources
Information as to the buildings
themselves (identification, use, size, year built
and possibly type of structure), seismicity and
site soil conditions may be available from
supplemental sources. The information should
be reviewed and collated for a given area before
commencing the field survey for that area. It is
recommended that this supplemental information
either be written directly on the screening forms
as it is retrieved or be entered into a
computerized database. The advantage of a
database is that selected information can be
printed in a report format that can be taken into
the field, or printed onto peel-off labels that can
be affixed to the screening form. In addition,
survey data can be added to the databases and
used to generate maps and reports. Some
sources of supplemental information are:
(a) Tax Assessment Files: Although such
files may contain information about the age of
the building, the total area. and the number of
storeys, most information relates to ownership
and assessed value of the land and
improvements, and thus is of relatively little
value for rapid screening purposes. One should
be aware that the construction type indicated is
often incorrect and in most cases should not be
used. In addition, it should be noted that the age
of a building retrieved from assessor's files may
not. and most likely is not. the year that the
structure was built Usually, assessment files
contain the year that the building was first
eligible for taxation. Because the criteria for this
may vary, the date may be several years after the
37
<
building was designed or constructed. If no
other source of information is available, this will
give a good estimate of the era during which the
building was constructed. However, this date
should not be used to establish conclusively the
code under which the building was designed.
Tax assessment offices may have parcel or lot
maps, which' may be useful for locating sites or
may be used as a template for sketching building
adjacencies on a particular city block.
(b) Building Department Files: Building
department files will vary greatly from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For example, in some
locations all old files have been thrown out, so
there is not information on older buildings. In
general, files (or microfilm) may contain permits,
plans and structural calculations required by the
city. Sometimes there is occupancy and use
information, but little information about
structural type will be found except by reviewing
plans or calculations.
(c) Previous Studies: In a few cases,
previous building inventories or studies of
, hazardous buildings or hazardous non-structural
elements (e.g., parapets) may have been
performed. 1bese studies may be limited to a
particular structural or occupancy class, but they
may contain. useful maps or other relevant
structural information and should be reviewed.
Other important studies might address related
seismic hazard issues such as liquefaction or
landslide potential. Local historical societies
may have published books or reports about older
buildings in the community. Ftre departments
are often aware of the overall condition and
composition of building interiors.
(d) Soils Infonnation: Because soil
conditions are a major factor in the risk to the
building, the screening procedure includes a
screening factor for soil conditions. Since soil
conditions cannot be readily identified by visual
methods in the field, geotechnical, geologic, or
liquefaction potential maps and other
information should be collected and put into a
readily usable map format for use during the
field survey. The screening procedure employs
a simplified soils categorization in Section 4.2.5.
(e) Seismic Zone: This may be obtained from
Chapter 1 of the Supplement of the National
Building Code of Canada 1985 or 1990.
This chapter has presented aspects of
planning and implementing seismic screening of
buildings for potential seismic hazards. As noted
previously, each application ofthe procedure will
need to tailor these to its own requirements.
Chapter 4 gives a detailed description of what to
look for and how to use the data collection form
for seismic screening.
38
4
THE SCREENING PROCEDURE
This chapter presents the seismic
screening procedure, including detailed
information, on how to fill out the Seismic
Screening Form. A copy of the form is shown
in Awendix C at the end of the manual. The
form has been designed to be filled out in a
smooth progressive manner, with a minimum of
writing.
On page 2 of the screening form, the
inspector calculates a structural index (SI) for
hazards associated with the building structure
and a non-structural index (NSI) for hazards
associated with non-structural components, and
combines them to determine a seismic priority
, index (SPI). In this manual, the word "score"
generally refers to the value of the seismic
priority index, but it could refer to either of the
structural or non-structural indices. A discussion
of the scoring system developed is given in
Section 4.4, and how it is used is given in
Chapter 5.
4.1 Overview of Screening Procedure
Briefly, the screening procedure consists
of either inspecting a building from the outside
and inside or inspecting the architeenJra1 and
structural drawings in order to quickly determine
if the building is probably adequate for the
earthquake forces it is likely to experience, or
whether there may be reasonable doubts as to the
building's seismic performance. 1be result of
the screening procedure helps to determine
whether the building should or should not be
subjected to more detailed investigation as to its
seismic adequacy.
Obviously no rapid examination can
provide highly reliable estimates of seismic
performance, and the screening procedure is
simply intended to identify those u i l i n ~
where reasonable doubts exists. It should be
recognized that any simple screening
procedure is limited. In some cases the
screening procedure may miss u i l i n ~ that
in reality are seismically weak, so that if
questions exist in the surveyor's mind
regarding a particular building, the surveyor
should err on the side of requiring the
building to be investigated in further detail.
1be urgency for a more detailed
evaluation of any building within an inventory
depends on the seismic vulnerability of the
building and its importance. 1be major factors
used to determine the score are:
Seismicity. that is, the maximum earthquake
motions that are to be expected for the location
of the building (seismic zone).
Soil Conditions. Deep soft soils affect
building damage by amplification of earthquake
motions and by possible soil failure, such as
liquefaction.
Type of Structure. This applies to the
building structure, that is, the primary load-
bearing components that support the building,
e.g., foundations, columns, bracing walls, beams,
39
joists. Some types of construction, such as
unreinforced-masonry bearing-wall construction
are more vulnerable than others, such as light
steel frame.
* BuildilU! Irrelrularities. This applies primarily
to weaknesses in configuration of the building
structure, such as soft storey, and to loss of
resistance due to deterioration.
* Non-Structural Hazards. Non-load-bearing
component of the building, such as block
partitions, may fallon people, or equipment
critical for post-disaster services may fail.
* Design NBC. Buildings designed to recent
building codes are less vulnerable than buildings
designed to older versions of the code or to no
earthquake provisions.
* Building Importance. The consequences of
collapse or failure of building components are
more serious both for critical facilities and for
high-occupancy buildings than. for example,
small storage buildings.
Seismicity, soil, design NBC, and
building importance are best determined and
entered on the screening form prior to the
inspection of the building (or its drawings) as
pre-field data Guidance for determining the
appropriate category for each of these factors is
contained in Section 4.2.
Type of structure, building irregularities
and non-structural hazards are best identified by
inspection of the building or its drawings. This
inspection is an important part of the saeening
procedure. To aid the inspector in this task,
page 1 of the Seismic Screening Form contains
appropriate desaiptors for each category of the
factor. Further guidance on how to identify the
appropriate category by inspection is contained
in Section 4.3.
As the data are obtained, it is entered on
the screening form, often by simply circling
appropriate descriptors listed on the form for
each of the factors, and appropriate numerical
values for each major factor on page 2 of the
form. TIle numerical values are then multiplied
as shown on page 2 of the form to determine the
scores, both for structural and non-structural
hazards, which, are then combined to determine
a final score for the building as a whole. As
explained in Section 4.4, the greater the
numerical value for each factor as compared to
a satisfactory value of 1.0, the greater this factor
contributes to the overall seismic risk and, hence,
the priority of the building for a more detailed
seismic investigation.
In summary, the screening procedure
consists of:
1. Obtaining pre-field data on building identi-
fication, seismic zone, soil conditions, and
use and occupancy for assessing building
importance (Section 4.2)
2. Obtaining sketch and photo of the building
(Section 4.3.1)
3. Identification of type of structure (Section
4.3.2)
4. Identification of building irregularities
(Section 4.3.3)
5. Identification of non-structural hazards
(Section 4.3.4)
6. Determination of score for the seismic
priority index (Section 4.4)
'!be remainder of this chapter gives
guidance for carrying out each of the above steps
of the screening procedure, making use of the
Seismic Screening Form. In filling out the form,
if certain information is not clearly known and is
estimated by the inspector, the lower confidence
in this information should be indicated by an
asterisk (*) next to that number.
A flow-chart of the Rapid Screening Procedure
40
is presented in Figure 4-1.
4.2 Pre-Field Data
4.2.1 Identification of Building and Inspector
One of the most important items for
subsequent use in hazard assessment and
mitigation is the identification and location of the
building. Street address and postal code, because
it is universal to all municipalities, is an
especially useful item for later collation and
SUlIlIIlal)' analyses. Building name is very useful
for quick identification and therefore should be
included. Additional information, such as
assessor parcel number or lot number, may also
be useful to the responsible authority for
jurisdictional record-keeping purposes.
Also, the person conducting the survey
should be identified, by name, initials, or some
other type of code. At some later time, it may
be very important to know who the inspector
was for a particular building, therefore this
. information should not be omitted.
4.2.2 Number of Storeys and Total Floor
Area
This information is needed for
determining building importance (factor E on
page 2 of the Seismic Screening Form) based on
its occupancy.
Counting the number of storeys may not
be a straightforward issue if the building is
constructed on a hill or if it has several different
roof levels. As a general rule, use the largest
number (Le., count floors from the downhill side
to the root). In addition, the number of storeys
may not be unique. A building may be stepped
or have a tower. Use the Comments section and
the sketch to indicated variations in the number
of storeys.
The total floor area, in some cases
available from building department or assessor
files, will most likely be estimated by
multiplying the area (in m
2
)of one storey by the
total number of storeys in the building. Use an
asterisk to indicate when total floor area has
been estimated
4.2.3 Year Built and Applicable NBC
This information is a key element of the
screening procedure. Building age, of course, is
tied directly to design and construction practices,
including the applicable earthquake code
requirements. 1berefore, age can be a major
factor in determining the score for the seismic
priority index. This information is not typically
available at the site and, thus, should be included
in pre-field data collection.
The most important information for
determining the score for a building is the
. applicable building code used for the structural
design. This rapid screening procedure is based
on comparisons of the various editions of the
NBC to the 1990 NBC. If a jurisdiction has
employed different codes, then a quantitative
comparison of that code's seismic requirements
to that of the NBC should be obtained, or at
least estimated, and the appropriate adjustment
made to the applicable factors. The applicable
code can be obtained from the date on the
structural drawings and by consultation with the
local building department This should be done
for each jurisdiction by determining the dates of
enforcement of the 1965, 1970, 1985, and 1990
NBC, including the earthquake requirements. If
. the structural drawings are not available, the
applicable NBC must be inferred from the age of
the building which is determined as follows.
Building department files, because they
contain plans, permits, and other building
41
START
,
Pre-Field Data
Field Data
, Structural
Assign Screening
Factors
L-., Non-Structural
--
--
Seismicity
Building
Importance
Year Built &
Design NBC Code
Use & Heritage
Designation
Soil
Conditions
Determine Type
of Structure
Determine Building
Irregularities
Check Building
Condition
Check Non-structural
Hazards
Review Pre-Field
Data
__---II_"' .J-Y<_e_s-,
1No
No
Yes
--
Prioritize

END
Figure 4-1: Flow Chart for the Seismic Screening Procedure
42
documents, are the most reliable source of the
year of construction. Tax assessor's files will
contain age information, but this should be used
. with caution as it refers to when the building
was first eligible for taxation and may be several
years later than the design or construction date.
'There may be no single "year built"
designation. Certain portions of the structure
may have been designed and constructed before
others. If this should be the case, indicate in the
Comments section or on the sketch the
construction dates for each portion. Caution
should also be used when interpreting design
practices from date of construction. The
building may have been constructed several years
after it was designed and thus designed to an
earlier code with inadequate seismic detailing.
This will be important when choosing the
numerical value for each factor.
Finally, none of the above sources may
be available to determine the year built and a
rough estimate of age will be made on the basis
of architectural style. This is discussed in more
. detail in Section 4.3.2. If the year built is only
an approximation, use an asterisk to indicate that
this is estimated or subjective.
4.2.4 EtJect,ive Seismic Zone (Box A of the
form)
The maximum earthquake motions that
are to be expected at the location of the building,
or the- seismicity, is obviously an important
factor in ranking buildings that are located in
different regions for further detailed evaluation.
The seismicity of a location (municipality) is
defined by the seismic zone given in Chapter 1
of the Supplement to the 1990 National Building
Code of Canada. The NBC, however, gives two
values, one for acceleration \ZJ and one for
velocity (Z,,). For the screening procedure, Box
A of the Seismic Screening Form defines an
effective seismic zone as equal to Zy. if Za is no
greater than Zy; and equal to Zy + I, if Za is
greater than Zy.

4.2.5 Soil Conditions (Box B of the form)
It has long been recognized that soil
conditions have a major influence on the
amplitude and duration of shaking, and thus
structural damage. Generally speaking, the
deeper and softer the soils at a site, the longer
the duration and more damaging the earthquake
will be. For the purpose of ranking buildings for
detailed seismic eValuation, it is sufficient to
categorize soil conditions into the following four
categories used in Box B of the form:
Rock or Stiff Soil: Rock of any
characteristic, or stiff soil conditions where the
soil depth is less than 50 m and the soil types
overlying rock are stable deposits of sands,
gravels or stiff clays.
Stiff Soil > 50 m: Deep cohesionless or
stiff clay soil conditions, including sites where
soil depth exceeds 50 m and the soil types
overlying rock are stable deposits of sands,
gravelS, or stiff clays.
Soft Soil > 15 m: Soft to medium stiff
clays and sands, characterized by 15 m or more
of soft to medium stiff clay with or without
intervening layers of sand or other cohesionless
soils.
Very Soft or Uguefiable Soils: Very
soft clays or other fine-grained soils where soil
depth exceeds 15 m and liquefiable soils
characterized by extra-sensitive clays or loose to
medium dense, saturated sandy silts, sands, or
gravels are present If the soil -is loose, but it is
not known whether it is liquefiable, treat it as
liquefiable.
Since it is usually not possible to identify
these soil categories by visual inspection in the
field, although sometimes it may be possible to
do so from the structural drawings, the related
soil information must usually be obtained from
geotechnical or geologic maps or other sources
oflocation information during the pre-fieldphase
43
of the screening procedure. In the absence of
reliable soil data, use B =1.5.
4.2.6 Use and Occupancy (Box E of the form)
The use and occupancy of a building is
an important factor in ranking buildings for
further detailed evaluation. TIlis is taken into
account by the factor E for building importance
on page 2 of the screening form. Special uses,
including schools, post-disaster buildings, and
buildings with special operational requirements,
are classified as being of high importance in Box
E of page 2 of the screening form and for these
no further calculation of the occupancy load N is
required. All other uses are classified in Box E
according to occupancy, defined for the
screening procedure as a measure (N) of the total
number of occupants of the building when in use
and the proportion of time during which they
occupy the building. The following is to aid the
investigator in identifying the appropriate
category for Box E.
Post-Disaster Buildings. 1bese are
. buildings expected to provide services in the
event of such a disaster as an earthquake, among
them hospitals, tire stations, police stations, radio
stations, telephone exchanges, power stations,
electrical substations, pumping stations (water
and sewage), and fuel depot buildings (NBC
definition).
Buildin2s with Special Operational
Reouirements. These are buildings that are
identified by the owner or authority as having
special requirements which must survive any
future design earthquake without loss of
operation and with greater reliability than for
normal post-disaster buildings. Identification of
such buildings by use or equipment descriptors
is determined by the authority or owner during
the planning phase and they may be added to
those in Box E of the screening form.
Other Buildings. AIl other buildings
(except schools) are categorized in Box E
according to occupancy load N. The occupancy
load is determined by multiplying the occupant
area of the building by the occupant density
given in Box E for the appropriate use, and
finally by a duration factor equal to the average
weekly hours of human occupancy divided by
100. TIlis calculation is carried out in Box E.
The average weekly hours of human occupancy
is estimated within the range given in Box E for
each use, taking into account the specific use of
the building and typical normal hours of use in
the locality. The five use classes in Box E are
described in more detail below:
Assembly: Places of public assembly
where 300 or more people might be gathered in
one room at a time. Examples are theatres,
auditoria, community centres, arenas,
performance halls, churches, stadia.
Mercantile. Personal Service: Retail and
wholesale businesses, financial institutions,
restaurants, etc.
Offices. Institutional. Manufacturing:
Typical clerical/management offices, government
buildings, factories, assembly plants, manu-
facturing facilities. Schools are given a special
category in Box E.
. Residential: Any building exceeding 600
m
2
in total area or three storeys in height used
for residential purposes - apartments, condomi-
niums, hotels, residences for senior citizens, etc.
Storage: Warehouses and other storage
facilities of low human occupancy.
Other classifications may be useful for
specific purposes. For example, there may be
specific requirements for historical buildings
which are designated as heritage, inasmuch as
these may require a specialized approach for
detailed evaluation and upgrading. This infor-
mation should be included in line 4 of page 1
44
of the screening form under "Heritage
Designation. "
4.3 Field Data
In this section, we provide information
about collecting the field data. This covers the
following items: identification of the type of
structure, building irregularities having negative
impact on seismic performance, and non-
structural hazards to life-safety or to continuous
operation of post-disaster or other special
buildings. Comments related to sketches and
photos are also included.
4.3.1 Sketches, Photos (Page 1 of the form)
There should be a sketch of the plan of
the building. An elevation may also be useful in
indicating significant features. However, several
photographs may serve to replace an elevation
sketch. The sketches are important, because they
reveal many of the building's attributes to the
surveyor as the sketch is made. That is, in a
manner of speaking, it forces the surveyor to
. systematically view all aspects of the building.
The plan sketch should include the location of
the building on the site and distance to adjacent
buildings. One suggestion is to make the plan
sketch from an available city zoning map as part
of pre-field data work. This is especially
valuable when access between buildings is not
available. If all sides of the building are
different, an elevation should be sketched for
each side. Otherwise, indicate that the sketch is
typical of all sides. The sketch should note and
emphasize special features, such as existing
cracks or configuration problems. Dimensions
should be included. The length and width of the
building can be paced off or estimated from
available plans.
At least one photograph of the building
should be taken for identification purposes. Of
course, an inspector is not limited to one
photograph. A photograph contains much more
information, although perhaps less emphasized,
than the elevation sketch. Buildings are
relatively difficult to photograph with a normal
camera, due to their large size and because the
camera lens introduces distortion for high-rise
buildings. If possible, the photograph should be
made from a sufficient distance to include the
whole building, so that several faces of the
building can be included. A wide-angle or a
zoom lens may be helpful. Strong sunlit facades
should be avoided, because harsh contrasts
between shadows and sunlit portions of the
facade will be introduced. Lastly, if possible,
avoid introducing trees, vehicles, and other
objects into the photo, because they obscure the
lower (and often the most important) storeys.
Examples of typical building photographs, which
illustrate these points, are shown in Figure 4-2.
Because not all significant details can be
effectively photographed or drawn, the inspector
should describe additional important information
in the Comments area. For example, comments
may pertain to non-structural hazards not listed
at the bottom of page 1 of the screening form.
4.3.2 Type of Structure (Box C of the form)
In this section, definitions of the types of
structure indicated on the Seismic Screening
Form are given and how best to identify these
types. It may be difficult to positively identify
the structural type because non-structural
components, such as veneer or dry wall, tend to
mask the structural skeleton. For example, a
steel frame and a concrete frame may look very
similar from the outside. The best way to
identify the type of struct.ure, if it is not
already clear by inspection, is to remove one
or more ceDing panels inside the building. If
this is not possible, the following method of
identification is recommended
Features typical of different types of
structures may give clues to their identity. In
some cases, there may be more than one type of
frame present in the structure. Should this be
45
.. <
Figure 4-2: Examples of Building Photography
46
the case, the predominant frame type should be
indicated. If a building contains different
structural systems to resist forces along the
length and width of the building (e.g., moment-
resisting frame in one direction, braced frame in
the perpendicular direction), circle the scoring
factor for each of the systems on the Seismic
Screening Form and use the higher value.
Identification of the type of structure
may require a process of elimination. lbis
approach will allow the inspector to assign the
highest score associated with the worst possible
structural system. Several types of information
can be derived from a survey of the building,
which will help in the elimination process:
1. Age: The approximate age of a building
can indicate the possible type of
structure. Age is difficult to determine
visually, but the rough age, accurate
within perhaps a decade, can be
estimated by looking at the architectural
style and detail treatment of the building
exterior, if the facade has not been
renovated. If a building has been
renovated, however, the apparent age is
misleading. The inspector should
preferably rely on age information from
available information, described in
Section 4.2.3.
2. Facade Pattern: The type of structure
can sometimes be deduced by the
openness of the facade, or the size and
pattern of window openings. The facade
material often can also give hints to the
structure beneath.
3. Height: The height will indicate the
possible type of construction. lbis is
particularly useful for taller buildings,
combined with knowledge of local
building practice.
4.3.2.1 Distinguishing Frame Structures from
Bearing Wall Structures
One of the first tasks in identifying
construction type is to determine if the building
structure is a frame type or a bearing-wall type.
A frame structure (Figure 4-3) is comprised of
girders and columns throughout the entire
structure that carry both vertical and lateral
loads, whereas a bearing wall (or box) structure
(Figure 4-4) utilizes bearing walls, which are
more or less solid, to resist the vertical and
lateral loads.
A building with large openings on all
sides, is probably a frame structure, as opposed
to a "box" structure. A common characteristic of
a frame structure is the rectangular grid pattern
of the facade, indicating the location of the
columns and girders behind the finish material.
lbis is particularly revealing when windows
occupy the entire opening in the frame and no
infill wall is used
Bearing-wall or box systems carry
vertical and lateral loads by means of walls
rather than columns. Structural floor members
such as slabs, joists, and beams are supported by
load-bearing walls. A box system is thus
characterized by more or less solid walls and, as
a rule of thumb, a load-bearing wall will not
have more openings than solid areas at any
horizontal section. It also typically will not have
excessively wide openings, unless a structural
lintel is used
Numerous structures, however,
incorporate structural columns, or are partly
frame structures. lbis is especially popular in
multi-storey commercial buildings in restricted
urban lots where girders and columns are used in
the ground floor of a bearing wall structure to
provide larger openings for retail spaces.
Another example is where the loads are carried
by both interior columns and a perimeter wall.
Both of these examples should be considered
bearing-wall structures, as lateral loads in these
47
Features of a Frame Building:
1. Large window span
2. Openings on many sides
3. Apparent column-beam grid pattern
Figure 4-3: Typical Frame Structure
48
Features of a Box Building:
1. Small window span
2. At least two mostly solid walls
3. Relatively thick load bearing walls
Figure 4-4: Typical Box Structure
49
buildings are resisted by these bearing walls.
Box structures sometimes also utilize only two
walls for load-bearing. The other walls are non-
load-bearing and thus may have large openings.
Therefore, the openness of the front elevation
should not be used to determine the structure
type. The inspector should also look at the side
and rear facades. If at least two of the four
exterior walls appear to be solid, then it is likely
that it is a box structure. If not, it should be
considered a frame structure, unless there are
clearly shear walls inside the building forming a
box system.
Whereas open facades on all sides
clearly indicate a frame structure, solid walls
may be indicative of a bearing-wall structure or
a frame structure with solid infill walls. Bearing
walls are usually much thicker than infill walls,
and increase in thickness in the lower storeys in
multi-storey buildings. This increase in wall
thickness can be detected by comparing the wall
thickness at windows in different floors. Thus,
solid walls can be identified as bearing- or non-
bearing walls according to their thickness, if the
. structural material is known.
Unreinforced-masonry bearing wall
(URM) and precast tilt-up (PCW) are usually
box-type structures. Steel buildings are usually
frame type, while concrete and reinforced
masonry (RML) may be either.
4.3.2.2 Where to Look for Oues
Because buildings have often been
renovated, the inspector should know where to
look for clues to the original construction. Most
renovations are done for commercial retail
spaces, as businesses like to have an up-to-date
image. Most exterior renovations also occur
only at the front facade or at facades where
people tend to look. Therefore, the original
construction can often be seen at the sides, the
rear or where people generally do not look. If
the original material is covered in these areas, it
is often just painted or lightly plastered. In this
case, the pattern of the older material can often
still be seen. From the inside, clues may be
available in stairwells and basements. Most of
the time, clues of the original material are quite
apparent, if one is looking for them. Two
examples are included here:
Figure 4-Sa shows a building with a
19708 polished stone and glass facade. The side
of the building indicates that it is a pre-1930
URM bearing-wall structure.
Figure4-Sb shows a building facade with
typical 19608 material. The side has been
painted. Showing though the paint, one can still
see the horizontal board patterns in the cast-in-
place concrete wall of pre-1940 construction.
4.3.2.3 Characteristics of Exposed
Construction Materials
Identification of structural type often
depends on the ability to recognize the exposed
construction material. The inspectors should be
familiar with how different materials look on
existing buildings as well as how they have been
installed Brief descriptions of some common
materials are included here:
Unreinforced Masonry: Unreinforced-
masonry walls, when they are not veneers, are
typically several wythes thick (a wythe is a term
denoting the width of one brick). Therefore,
header bricks will be apparent in the exposed
surface. Headers are bricks laid with the butt
end on the exterior face, and function to tie
wythes of bricks together (see Figure 4-6a and
4-6b). Sometimes URM infi11 walls will not
have header bricks and the wythes of brick are
held together only by mortar. Needless to say,
URM will generally look old, and most of the
time show wear and weathering.
Reinforced Masonry: Most reinforced-
masonry walls are constructed using the hollow
concrete or clay blocks of ISo-mm minimum
width, with the vertical cores reinforced and
50
Figure 4-5a: An Unreinforced Masonry Bearing Wall Structure
with a 1970s Renovated Facade
Figure 4-5b: A Concrete Wall Structure with a 1960s Renovated
Facade
51
grouted. A less frequently used method consists
of two wythes of brick with the space in between
containing reinforcement and grouted (see Figure
4-6c). Both of these methods of construction
usually do not show header bricks in the wall
surface. Figure 4-6<1 shows that arches are
sometimes used in reinforced masonry.
Masonry Veneer: Masonry veneers can
be of several types, including prefabricated
panels, thin brick texture tiles, and single wythe
of brick applied onto structural backing. Figure
4-00 shows a brick veneer panel. Note the dis-
continuity of the brick pattern interrupted by the
vertical gaps. lbis indicates that the surface is
probably a panel. The scupper opening at the
top of the wall also indicates that this is a thin
veneer rather than a solid masonry wall. A good
place to look for the evidence of veneer tile is at
the head of door or window openings where the
edge of the tile will usually show.
Hollow Clay Tile: The exposed area of
a hollow clay-tile masonry unit is approximately
150 x 250 mm and often has stripe indentations
, running the length of the tile. These clay-red
colour blocks are fragile, unreinforced, and
without structural value, and are usually used for
non-load-bearing walls. Figure 4-6f shows a
typical wall, which has been painted. Punctured
tiles can be seen in the lower part of the photo,
with their hollow interiors.
False Masonry: Masonry pattern
sidings can be made from sheet metal, plastic, or
asphalt material (see Figures 4-6g and 4-6h).
These sidings come in sheets that are attached to
a structural backing, usually wood frame. Thus,
these sidings can be detected by looking at the
edges and by their sound when tapped.
Cast-In-Place Concrete: Cast-in-place
concrete, used in construction before the 1940s,
will likely show horizontal patterns from the
wooden framework. The framework was
constructed from wood planks and, therefore, the
concrete also will often show the wood grain
pattern. Since the planks are not even, the
surface will have horizontal lines approximately
100 to 150 mm apart (see Figure 4-6i). Newer
cast-in-place concrete comes in various finishes.
The most economic finish is that in which the
concrete is cast against plywood framework,
which will reflect the wood grain appearance of
plywood, or against metal or plastic-covered
wood forms, which normally do not show a
distinctive pattern.
4.3.2.4 Wood Light Frame (WLF)
These are typically apartment,
commercial or office buildings with floor area
exceeding 600 m
2
in area or three storeys in
building height In rare instances older buildings
may be as high as six storeys in rare instances.
Many buildings that appear to have brick
exterior facades are actually wood frame with
non-structural brick veneer or brick pattern
synthetic siding. However, in some instances,
brick walls may not be veneer. For these
buildings, first examine the brick closely and
verify that it is real brick (see Figure 4-6h).
Second, look for header bricks in the brick
pattern. If they exist, then it may be a brick
wall. If it is still unclear after looking for these
features, assume that it is a masonry building
and rate it as such.
,4.3.2.5 .Wood, Post, and Beam (WPB)
Post and beam wood construction is
often used in buildings with large span roofs.
These are larger buildings; such as warehouses,
offices, churches, theatres, fire stations, or
sometimes gas stations. lbis type of
construction typically consists of larger
rectangular (or sometimes circular) columns
framed together with large wood beams or wood
trusses. In some structures, a combination of
materials is present
It may be difficult to differentiate these
structures from Type 1 (WLF). If in doubt, treat
52
Figure 4-00: A URM Wall Showing Header Courses (identified by
arrows) and Wall Anchors
Figure 4-6b: Two Types of Masonry Pattern Showing Header
Bricks (shown with stiples)
53
Bncks are lefc out of che
bottom course at
Intervals to create
cleanout holes. then
Insened before groutmg---"
Figure 4-6c: Diagram of the Usual Reinforced-Masonry Wall
Figure 4-6d: Reinforced-Masonry Wall Showing No Header Bricks
54
Figure 4-00: Brick Veneer Panels
Figure 4-6f: Hollow Masonry Tile Wall
55
Figure 4-6g: Sheet-Metal Siding with Masonry Pattern
Figure 4-6h: Asphalt Siding with Brick Pattern
56
Figure 4-6i: An Old (pre-1940) Cast-in-PIace Concrete
57
4.3.2.6 Steel Moment Frame (SMF)
4.3.2.7 Steel Braced Frame (SBF)
4.3.2.8 Steel Light Frame (SLF)
it as WPB. TImber-pole buildings should be
comidered WPB.
Light metal buildings are typically
characterized by industrial corrugated
sheet metal or asbestos-reinforced
cement siding. The term "sheet siding"
should not be confused with "metal
building panels". The latter are
prefabricated cladding units usually used
for large office buildings. Corrugated
sheet-metal siding is thin sheet material
usually fastened to purlins, which in turn
span between columns. If this sheet
cladding is present, the inspector should
examine closely the fasteners used. If
the heads of sheet metal screws can be
seen in horizontal rows, the building is
most likely a light metal structure
(Figure 4-8).
The typical structural system consists of
moment frames in the transverse
direction and braced frame in the
longitudinal direction. Because of their
structural systems, light metal buildings
tend to have low pitched roofs without
parapets or overhangs. Most of these
buildings are prefabricated, so the
buildings tend to be rectangular without
many corners (Figure 4-9).
1.
structure is exposed. To identify this
comtruction type from the outside, the inspector
should look for the following characteristics:
3. These buildings generally have few
windows, as it is difficult to detail a
window in the sheet metal system.
,
4.3.2.9 Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
Walls (Sew)
It is often difficult to visually
differentiate a steel frame from concrete shear
walls or other structural types, because the shear
walls will often be covered by interior finishes
and cannot be differentiated from interior non-
structural partitions. For the purposes of
2.
If a building can be determined as a
braced frame, it is probably a steel
structure. Sometimes, the braces can be
seen at exterior windows.
If exposed steel beams and columns can
be seen, then the steel frame structure is
apparent It should be noted that,
especially in older buildings, a structural
frame which appears to be concrete may
aetua11y be a steel frame encased in
concrete for fIre protection.
1.
2.
It is also often difficult to differentiate
steel-frame structures and concrete-frame
structures from the exterior. There are no
positive ways of distinguishing these various
frame types, except in two cases:
The type of exterior walls may vary from
wood sheeting to brick or stone veneer.
From the building exterior, it is often
very difficult to tell the difference between steel
moment frames, braced frames, and frames with
shear walls of various kinds. In most modern
buildings, the bracing or shear walls are located
in the interior or covered by cladding material.
The steel braced frame structure is not
usually easy to identify from the exterior. Figure
4-7 shows heavy diagonal bracing for a high-rise
building, located at the side walls, which will be
subsequently covered by fInish materials and will
not be apparent However, in some modern
buildings the bracing can be exposed.
This type of structure is often easily
identifIed inside the building because the
58
Figure 4-7a: Diagonal Steel-Bracing in Buildings under
Construction (Diagonal braces are covered by
finish material when the building has been completed.)
Figure 4-7b: A Closer View of Diagonal Bracing
59
Figure 4-8: Corrugated Sheet-Metal Siding Fastened with
Screws
Figure 4-9: Example of Light Metal Building
60
the screening procedure, unless the shear wall is
identifiable (e.g., the raw concrete finish was part
of the architectural aesthetic of the building, and
was left exposed), this type cannot be identified,
in which case see Section 4.5.
4.3.2.10 Steel Frame with lordl Masonry
Shear Walls (SIW)
Because the steel frame is covered by
unreinforced masonry for fire protection (Figure
4-10), it is very easy to confuse this type of
building with URM bearing-wall structures.
Further, because the steel columns are relatively
slender, they may be hidden in walls. That is,
an apparently solid masonry wall may enclose a
series of columns and girders. It should also be
noted that these infill walls are usually two to
three wythes thick. Therefore, header bricks will
sometimes be present and thus mislead the
inspector into thinking the building is URM
bearing-wall structure, rather than infill.
Often in these structures, the masonry is
exposed. Masonry may be obscured by the
. cladding in buildings, especially those that have
undergone renovation. When a masonry building
is encountered, the inspector should first
determine, by checking the date of construction,
if the masonry is reinforced. This is however,
only a rough guide.
A clear indication of a steel frame
structure with URM infill is when the building
exhibits the characteristics of a frame structure
(refer to section 4.3.2.1). Many frame buildings
clad in brick and constructed prior to about 1940
.are of this type. It should be noted, however,
that older frame buildings may be of several
types: steel frame encased with URM, steel
frame encased with concrete, and concrete frame.
Sometimes older buildings have decorative
cladding, such as terra cotta or stone veneer.
Veneers may obscure all evidence of URM. In
that case, the structural type cannot be
determined. However, if there is evidence that
a lot of concrete was used in the building (Le., a
rear wall constructed of concrete), then it is
unlikely that the building has URM infill.
When you cannot be sure whether the
building is a frame or whether it has bearing
walls, look for two clues - the thickness of the
walls and the height Because infill walls are
constructed of two or three wythes of bricks,
they should be approximately 22 to 33 cm (9 to
13 in.) thick. Furthermore, the thickness of the
wall will not increase in the lower storeys
because the structural frame is carrying the load.
For taller buildings, the height will indicate if
URM bearing walls are used. URM bearing wall
structures are seldom over six storeys tall and, if
so, will have extremely thick walls in the
10w*"T toreys.
4.3.2.11 Concrete Moment Frame (CMF)
This building type is difficult to
differentiate from steel moment-resisting frames
unless the structural concrete has been left
relatively exposed. Although the steel frame
may be encased in concrete and appear to be a
concrete frame, this is seldom the case for
modem buildings (post-I940s). For the rapid
screening procedure, it can be assumed that all
exposed cona-ete frames are concrete and not
steel frames. A fundamental factor in the
seismic performance of concrete moment-resis-
ting frames is the presence or absence of ductile
detailing. Ductile detailing refers to the presence
ofspecial steel-reinforcing within concrete beams
and columns. The special reinforcement provides
confinement of the concrete, permitting good
performance in the members beyond the elastic
capacity. primarily in bending. Due to this
confmement, disintegration of the concrete is
delayed, and the concrete retains its strength for
more cycles of loading. Under high-amplitude
cyclic loading, lack of confinement will result in
the rapid disintegration of ordinary concrete
members. with ensuing brittle failure and
possible building collapse.
Detailing for ductility in seismic zones
61
was first introduced in the 1975 NBC, but the
detailing does not fully achieve the ductility
indicated above. Fully ductile detailing in
seismic zones has become a requirement only
recently (1985 NBC). 'This change in ductility
has been taken into account by the screening
factor for type of structure, C, on the Seismic
Screening Form.. It is not possible to identify or
verify detailing of reinforcement from a visual
inspection of the building.
4.3.2.12 Concrete Shear Walls (CSW)
Frame structures with interior shear walls
are often very difficult to identify positively.
Sometimes they can be identified from the inside
of the building if the concrete is exposed, for
example, in stairwells, elevator shafts, or
basements. Sometimes they can be identified
from the outside (Figure 4-11). Where the
building is clearly a box-structure (see section
4.3.2.1 on frame and box structure
identification), the building is probably a shear
wall structure. Concrete shear-wall buildings
tend to be cast-in-place concrete. In concrete
box structures, the wall thickness ranges from 15
to 25 em (6 to 10 inches) and is thin in
comparison to that of masonry bearing-wall
structures.
4.3.2.13 Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry
Shear Walls (CIW)
1bese buildings have been and continue
to be built in regions where URM has not been
eliminated (Figure 4-12). 1be first step in
identification is to determine whether the
structure is old enough to contain URM. 'Ibis
type of construction was generally built before
1940 in highly seismic regions and may continue
to be built to the present in other regions.
Typically, it consists of multi-storey commercial
or industrial buildings. In contrast to steel
frames with URM infill, concrete frames with
URM infill usually show clear evidence of being
concrete frames. This is particularly true for
industrial buildings and can usually be observed
at the side or rear of commercial buildings or
from the inside. The concrete columns and
beams are relatively large and usually not
covered by masonry but left exposed.
A case in which URM infill cannot be
readily identified is the commercial building with
large windows on all sides; these buildings may
have interior URM partitions. Another difficult
case occurs when the exterior walls are covered
by decorative tile or stone veneer. The infill
material can be URM or concrete. In these
cases, the building will usually be a frame
structure and not a bearing-wall structure.
4.3.2.14 Precast Concrete Frame (PCF)
The use of precast concrete started
mainly in the 19508 although the technology was
known long before. The identification of this
structure type cannot rely solely on construction
date, although most precast concrete frame
structures were constructed after 1960. Some
typical characteristics are:
1. Precast concrete, in general, is of a
higher quality and precision compared to
cast-in-place concrete. It is also
available in a greater range of textures
and finishes. It should be noted that
many newer concrete and steel buildings
have precast concrete panels and column
covers as an exterior finish (see Figure
4-13). Thus, the presence of precast
concrete does not necessarily mean that
it is a precast concrete frame.
2. Precast concrete frames are, in essence,
post-and-beam construction in concrete.
1berefore, when a concrete structure
displays the features of a post-and-beam
system, it is most likely a precast
concrete frame. It is usually not
economical for a conventional cast-in-
place concrete frame to look like a post-
and-beam system. Features of a precast
62
Figure 4-10: An Example of Steel Frame with URM Infill (SIW)
Figure 4-11: Concrete Shear-Wall Building from Exterior (CSW)
63
Figure 4-12: An Example of Concrete Frame with URM Intill
(CIW)
Figure 4-13: Typical Precast Concrete Cover
64
concrete post-and-beam system include:
(a) exposed ends of beams and girders that
project from their supports or away from
the building surface;
(b) the absence of small joists;
(c) beams sitting on top of girders rather
than meeting at a monolithic joint (see
Figure 4-14a).
3. The presence of precast structural
components is usually a good indication
of this system, although these
components are also used in mixed
construction. Precast structural
components come in a variety of shapes
and sizes. The most common types are
sometimes difficult to detect from the
street Less common, but more obvious,
examples are shown in Figures 4-14a
and b, and include:
(a) Ts or double Ts -These are deep beams
with thin web and flanges and have large
span capacities (Figure 4-14a shows
double Ts; often the ends are not
exposed as shown in this figure,
however);
(b) Cross- or T-shaped columns - These are
structural units for constructing moment-
resisting frames. They are usually
joined together by field welding. Joints
should be clearly visible at the midspan
of the beams or the mid-height of the
columns (see Figure 4-14b);
(c) Precast arches - Precast arches and
pedestals are popular in the architecture
of these buildings;
(d) Column - When a column displays a
precast finish without an indication that
it has a cover (Le., no vertical seam can
be found), the column is likely a IIecast
structural column.
It is possible that a precast concrete
frame may not show any of the above features,
however.
4.3.2.15 Precast Concrete WaIls (PCW)
Precast concrete wall-buildings are an
inexpensive form of light industrial and
commercial construction that has become
increasingly popular in western and central
Canada since the 19508. They are typically one
and sometimes two storeys high and basically a
box system. Note that this means that the walls
are the lateral-force-resisting system. The major
defect in tilt-ups is sometimes a lack of positive
wall-diaphragm anchorage. The exterior walls
were traditionally formed and cast on the ground
adjacent to their fmal position, and then "tilted-
up" and attached to the on-grade floor slab.
More recent construction may truck in the wall
panels from off site. The roof can be a plywood
diaphragm carried on wood purlins and glulam
beams or a light steel deck and joist system,
supported in the interior of the building on steel-
pipe columns. The wall panels are attached to
concrete cast-in-place pilasters or steel columns,
or the joint is simply closed with a later pour.
These joints are typically spaced about 6 to 10 m
apart. Figure 4-15 shows an example of a
precast wall tilt-up structure.
4.3.2.16 Reinforced-Masonry Bearing WaIls
with Wood or Metal Deck Diaphragms
(RML)
To identifyreinforced masonry, one must
determine whether the building is masonry and
whether it is reinforced. To obtain information
on how to recognize a masonry structure, see
Section 4.3.2.4 on characteristics of construction
materials. The best way of assessing the
reinforcement condition is to compare the date of
construction to the date of code requirement for
reinforcement of masonry in the local
jurisdiction. Ifin doubt, consider it unreinforced
65
Figure 4-14a: Exposed Precast Double T Sections and
Overlapping Beams are Indicative of Precast
Frames
Figure 4-14b: Precast Structural Cross
66
Figure 4-15: An Example of Precast Concrete (Tilt-Up)
Structure (PeW)
67
4.3.2.18 Unreinforced-Masonry Bearing-Wall
Buildinp (URM)
determined from the inside by removing a ceiling
panel or by inspecting stairwells or elevator
shafts. Otherwise, it may not be easy to identify
this due to the large variety of finish material
used for floors and covered ceilings.
The first step is to determine whether the
structure has bearing walls. Refer to Section
4.3.2.1 on distinguishing frame structures from
box structures. Second, the inspector should
determine the approximate age of the building.
Some indications of unreinforced masonry are:
1. If a building can be identified as a
masonry bearing-wall building built
before the date of seismic code
requirement in the local area, it is almost
certainly a URM building. This date
may vary considerably with jurisdiction
across the country, even if the seismic
zone does not change.
When a building has many exterior solid
walls constructed from hollow clay tile
and no columns of another material can
be detected, it is probably not a URM
bearing wall, but probably a wood or
metal frame structure with URM infill.
2. Some structures of this type will have
anchor plates visible at the floor and
roof lines, approximately 2 to 3 m on
centre all around the perimeter of the
building. Anchor plates are usually
square or diamond-shaped steel plates,
approximately 15 by 15 em, with a bolt
and nut at the centre (see Figure 4-16).
Their presence indicates anchor ties have
been placed to tie the walls to the floors
and roof. These are either from the
original construction or due to retrofit.
When these anchors are present all
around the building, the original
construction is URM bearing wall.
3.
masonry, type URM.
4.3.2.17 Reinforced-Masonry Bearing Walls
with Concrete Diaphragms (RMC)
The inspector also needs to determine
whether the building is veneered or full masonry
(see Section 4.3.2.4). It should be noted that
wood siding is seldom applied over masonry. If
the front facade looks like reinforced masonry
whereas the side has wood siding, it is probably
a wood frame that has undergone facade
renovation. Check around the back for signs of
the original construction type.
Reinforced-masonry structures are
usually box structures. Thus, the inspector
should first check this (see Section 4.3.2.1 on
frame and box structure identification).
Reinforced masonry building may have various
floor framing systems. The most common are
light steel, wood frame or concrete (see next
Section).
All descriptive features provided for type
RML (above) apply also to this type. The only
difference is the different type of floor framing -
concrete diaphragm. This can often be
If the structure has been identified as
masonry bearing wall, but it is unclear as to
whether it is reinforced, it should be considered
unreinforced, type URM.
If it can be determined that the bearing
walls are constructed of concrete blocks, the
masonry may be reinforced. Because concrete
blocks are a relatively new masonry unit, load-
'bearing structures using these blocks are
probably reinforced if the local code required it.
Concrete block comes in a variety of sizes and
textures. The most common size is 20 em (8
inches) wide by 40 cm (16 inches) long by 20
em (8 inches) high. Their presence can usually
be detected by the block pattern on the walls, as
concrete blocks are often left as the finish.
68
Figure 4-16: Anchor Plates Indicating that the Building
is a URM Bearing Wall
69
4. One way to distinguish a reinforced-
masonry building from an unreinforced-
masonry building is to examine the brick
pattern closely. Reinforced masonry
usually does not show header bricks in
the wall surface.
If a building does not display the above
features, or if the exterior is covered by other
fInish material, the building may still be URM.
The inspector should exercise judgment and use
the highest value of C corresponding to the
likely alternative strucwral types.
4.3.3 Irregularities (Box D of the form)
In this section, we present a summary of
various irregularities or deficiencies associated
with seismic vulnerability of the buildings. They
are very important in the screening process and
are considered during site inspections or drawing
inspections. The proper identification of
irregularities is based to a large degree on the
personal engineering experience of an inspector
responsible for screening.
4.3.3.1 Vertical Irregularity
If the building has abrupt changes in
plan dimensions over its height (see Figure 2-14)
or if the walls are not perpendicular to the
ground, then the vertical irregularity factor
applies. If the building is on a steep hill, so that
over the width of the building, the hill rises at
least by one storey in height, a problem may
exist because the stiffness on the downhill side
is different from the uphill side. In this case, the
above-mentioned factor should also be applied.
Irregularity is a difficult characteristic to
define, and considerable judgement and
experience are required for identification
purposes. Basically, if the building appears
unusual in the vertical dimension in some
fundamental way, has discontinuities in load
paths, or has major setbacks, then this factor
applies.
4.3.3.2 Horizontal Irregularity (Torsion)
As discussed in Section 2.4, this is a
situation involving sharp re-entrant comers,
where increased damage is likely to occur. This
problem is prevalent in buildings with irregular
shapes ("L", "V", "E" and "T' - see Figure 2-14)
and with long wings. If the length of a wing
projection beyond a re-entrant comer is greater
than 15% of the plan dimension in the given
direction, the structure may be considered to
have plan irregularity.
Two other types of plan irregularities are
long slender bearing-wall buildings and very
large slender bearing-wall buildings, and
large tilt-up buildings (greater than 10,000 m )
with no interior walls to help resist earthquake
forces. In the first case, the building may have
good lateral load resistance in the long direction,
but very little in the short direction. lbis is
particularly true if the short walls have many
windows. An example would be a long, narrow
wood frame building (length-to width-ratio
greater than 2).
Although the horizontal irregularity
factor may apply to all construction types, wood,
tilt-up, precast frame, reinforced- and
unreinforced-masonry construction are ofprimary
concern. Damage at connections may
significantly reduce the capacity of vertical-load-
carrying element, leading to possible partial or
total collapse.
When there are major eccentricities in
the lateral-force-resisting system (see Section
2.4), significant torsion or twisting of the
building will occur, increasing the likelihood of
severe damage or collapse.
The situation is especially prevalent
among corner or wedge-shaped buildings, in
which two adjacent street sides of the building
will be largely windowed and open, whereas the
70
other side(s) are generally solid, as shown for
example in Figure 2-15.
4.3.3.3 Short Concrete Columns
Also termed as "stub-columns," this is
primarily a defect in concrete buildings. It
consists of columns that were designed as having
full-storey height but which, because of later
additions of spandrel beams or wall sections
between the columns, have an effective height
substantially less than the full-storey height. The
effect of the wall or spandrel beams is to
increase the bending stiffness of the columns, so
that they attract much more lateral load than they
were designed for. Often this results in brittle
shear failure of the columns. This is an
especially severe problem when the stiffening
beams or walls are not placed symmetrically, so
that the shear forces are even more concentrated.
A typical example might be an older parking
garage with 1- to 2-m high barrier walls. The
presence of a seismic gap between the columns
and stiffening walls or beams would indicate this
factor need not be applied. A concrete column
may be considered "short" when its exposed
height is less than four times its width.
4.3.3.4 Soft Storey
This refers to severe reduction of
stiffness caused by discontinuous shear walls and
openings. It usually appears as one storey with
dramatically less stiffness than most of the
others. A soft storey can be considered one in
which the lateral stiffness is approximately half
or less than that in the storey immediately above.
Examples are shear walls or infill walls not
continuous to the foundation. Soft storeys are
difficult to verify without knowledge of how the
building was designed and how the lateral forces
are to be transferred from storey to storey, that
is, e.g., shear walls in the building that are not
visible from outside. However, if there is doubt,
it is best to be conservative and indicate the
existence of a soft storey. Use an asterisk and
the Comments section to explain the source of
uncertainty.
The first storey is often soft due to large
windowopenings for display purposes. Assume
that, if one storey is particularly tall or has
windows on all sides, it is a soft storey if the
storeys above have many fewer windows. If two
or three adjacent walls at that storey height are
solid or only have small openings, then the
torsion irregularity should be used.
A building may be adequate in one
direction, but be soft in the perpendicular
direction. For example, the front and back walls
may be open, but the side walls may be solid.
4.3.3.5 Pounding
Pounding occurs when there is little or
no clearance between adjacent buildings. If
separation between buildings is less than 20 Zy
times the number of storeys (in mm), where Zy
is the NBC velocity-related seismic zone,
pounding has to be considered and pounding
factor must be included. The buildings impact
or pound against each other as they deflect in an
earthquake. Ifthe building floors are at different
elevations, this is particularly significant, as one
building's floor may pound against the other's
column, destroying the column and resulting in
partial or total collapse. Pounding applies
usually to frame buildings (SMF, SBF, SIW,
CMF, PCW, CIW). Sometimes, it may also
apply to wood-light frame buildings (WLF) and
other construction types.
4.3.3.6 Major Modifications
Any change in function, use or addition
to the building, which results in significant
increase in loading or weight is covered by this
category of irregularity. The major
modifications can be identified only with close
cooperation with an owner or by inspection of
construction drawings in addition to a site visit
71
4.3.3.7 Deterioration
If structural elements are damaged, or
poor condition of the building is visually
apparent, the deterioration factor must be
included. Poor condition of the building may
take the form of corroded reinforcement or steel
elements, rotted wood elements, poor concrete or
masonry elements.
4.3.4 Non-Structural Hazards (Box F of the
form)
Non-structural hazards cover falling
hazards to human life and hazards to vital
operation in case of strategic buildings with
special operational requirements. Anchorage of
non-structural components to the structure is a
key factor in assessing seismic risk. However, it
is usually very difficult to verify anchorage of
non-structural components because they are
usually hidden. The seismic screening procedure
assumes that this is generally the case.
4.3.4.1 Falling Hazards to Life
Falling hazards to life are usually
associated with heavy non-structural components
that may fall onto areas of human occupancy,
corridors, stairs and exits. They may be
classified into two classes: exterior hazards and
interior hazards. Exterior hazards include
architectural components over exits and
Walkways such as masonry chimneys, parapets,
or veneer or stonelprecast panels. Interior
hazards include masonry partitions, heavy
equipment or storage shelves which may collapse
onto areas of human occupancy.
4.3.4.2 Hazards to Vital Operation
Hazards to vital operation concern
seismic damage which affects continuous
operational requirements of special buildings,
other than the post-disaster buildings mentioned
in the 1990 NBC. The owner or other authority
controlling building operation should provide a
list of critical items to be checked These items
may be different for different strategic facilities
(see Section 4.2.6).
4.4 Scoring System
Having obtained the necessary
information, calculate a score on the screening
form for each building. The final score, denoted
as the seismic priority index (SPI) on the
Seismic Screening Form, is made up of the
following two components, which are treated
separately after completion of the survey:
1. Structural index (SI) relating to possible
damage or failure of the building
structure, and
2. Non-structural index (NSI) relating to
failure or damage of non-structural
components of the building.
The Structural Index (SI) is based on the
following factors: seismicity and soil conditions
(ground motions), type of structure and its
irregularities (structural behaviour), and building
importance. The numerical values of all
screening factors indicate the degrees of
deviation that are judged to occur compared to
the corresponding values in the 1990 NBC.
The SI is calculated as follows:
SI = A . B . C . D . E
where:
A =seismicity
B =soil conditions
C =type of structure
D = irregularities
E =building importance
The seismicity factor, A, was originally
based on the review of seismicity data included
in the recent and previous editions of the
National Building Code of Canada. The range is
from 1.0 (for effective seismic zone 2)
72
to 4.0 (for zone 6). The effective seismic zone
is determined in accordance with Section 4.2.4,
and as shown on the screening form.
The soil conditions factor, B, is based on
the foundation factor, F, in recent and previous
editions of NBC. Together with seismicity
factor, A, it describes the ground motions
delivered to the building. TIle value of B ranges
from 1.0 for rock or stiff soil to 2.0 for very soft
or liquefiable soil.
The factor for type of structure, C, is
related to a similar factor used in the seismic
requirements of the NBC, presently called the R-
factor, formerly called the K-factor. These
factors relate to the toughness of the structural
system. A low value for C, Le., 1.0, means that
the structural system has either inherently good
seismic properties or is specifically designed to
resist earthquakes, whereas a high value (up to
3.5 for URM) indicates a lack of toughness of
the system against earthquake motions. The
numerical values for C were derived by
estimating the ratio of seismic performance that
. can be expected from the code requirements that
were used for the design, compared to the
expected performance under the 1990 NBC
seismic requirements.
The irregularities factor, D, is associated
with various irregularities or deficiencies of the
buildings affecting seismic vulnerability.
Included are: vertical irregularity, horizontal
irregularity, short concrete columns, soft storey,
pounding, modifications, and deterioration.
Lower values for these irregularities take account
of the introduction of seismic design
requirements in the NBC pertaining to these
irregularities. Factor D is calculated as the
product of individual factors for each irregularity
found to occur for the building, with the
maximum value of D set at 4.0.
The building importance factor, E, is
evaluated based on the combination of building
primary use and occupancy. Five categories are
introduced: low occupancy (N < 10); normal
occupancy (N = 10 - 300); schools or high
occupancy (N =301 - 3000); post-disaster or
very high occupancy (N > 3000); and buildings
with special operational requirements as
identified by an owner or authority. The method
of estimating the occupancy (N) is described in
Section 4.2.6.
The Non-Structural Index (NSI) is based
on three factors: falling hazards to life-safety or
hazards to vital operations in post-disaster
buildings, building importance and soil
conditions:
NSI = B' E' F
where
B = soil conditions
E = building importance
F = max (FI' F
2
)
where
FI = falling hazards to life
F
2
= hazards to vital operations
If no specific hazards are identified, the
values of F
I
and F
2
are equal to 1.0. The risk of
non-structural damage increases for buildings
that are flexible (frame types, buildings with soft
storey or torsion) or those that have deteriorated.
The values of F
I
and F
2
are therefore increased
from 3.0 to 6.0 for these cases.
The final score, the seismic priority
index (SPI) is obtained from:
SPI = SI + NSI
where
SI =structural index, and
NSI = non-structural index
Fundamentally, the score (seismic
priority index) is related to the seismic risk for
the particular building, given the
73
occurrence of an earthquake equivalent to that
specified for the 1990 NBC. The score,
however, is based only on a rapid evaluation of
each building and is therefore not a true measure
of seismic risk. It is to be used only as an initial
assessment for deciding which buildings should
have a more detailed evaluation in order of
priority.
4.5 Data Confidence
A general indication of the inspector's
confidence should be provided concerning the
factors associated with type of building structure,
irregularities, and building importance. An
asterisk(*) should be used to indicate that data
are estimated, subjective, or unreliable. Data that
could fall into this category include: year built,
design NBC, total floor area, soil conditions,
falling hazards, and hazards to vital operations.
The Comments section should be used to explain
why the asterisk is used.
When the inspector is uncertain about the
type of structure, he or she should attempt to
eliminate all unlikely types. If the inspector is
then left with several options, the choice of the
type of structure should be also indicated by an
asterisk. As a conservative approach, the
recommended value should be the highest value
among the likely types of structure.
74
5
RANKING AND SCREENING OF A BUILDING INVENTORY
Having completed the survey of all
buildings in the inventory, for the final stage,
assess the scores for the next stage in the
evaluation and mitigation of seismic hazards of
the existing building inventory.
5.1 Ranking of Buildings According to Score
First of all, the buildings should be
ranked in order of priority according to score.
The higher the score, the higher the priority.
This can be done three ways - according to the
seismic priority index (SPO for the building as a
whole, according to the structural index (SO, and
according to the non-structural index (NSI).
This separation may be useful because non-
. structural hazards can become more serious than
structural hazards in lower seismic zones and
detailed seismic evaluation and upgrading for
non-structural components may be easy to carry
out. TIle Seismic Screening Inventory Form in
Appendix C, which allows for all three screening
options, may be used for this purpose. Once the
buildings are ranked, they may be grouped into
priority categories for further evaluation. An
important decision is the elimination of buildings
that have low scores from further detailed
evaluation.
5.2 Cut-Off Score for Screening out Low-
Risk Buildings
The question remains as to what is an
acceptable score. This is a question for an
owner or the building authority, a question that
involves the costs of safety versus benefits. The
costs of safety include the costs of surveying and
investigating in detail sometimes hundreds or
even thousands of buildings in order to identify
some fraction of these that would actually sustain
major damage during an earthquake. It also
includes an estimate of costs associated with
strengthening those buildings finally determined
to be unacceptably weak. The most important
benefit is the saving of lives and prevention of
injuries due to reduced damage for those
buildings that are strengthened. This reduced
damage also results in less material damage and
fewer major disruptions to our daily lives and
businesses. The identification of hazardous
buildings and the mitigation of their hazards is
critical because there are thousands of existing
buildings in regions of Canada (parts of the West
Coast and the St. Lawrence Valley and vicinity)
of medium to high seismicity that may suffer
damage and loss of lives in the event of strong
ground-Shaking.
The owner or authority should consider
the costs and benefits of seismic safety, and
decide what score is an appropriate one to be
used as an indicator for further detailed
investigation. An SI or NSI score of 1.0 to 2.0
would indicate essentially full compliance with
the 1990 NBC and all such buildings could be
assumed to be designed for adequate seismic
safety. For purposes of ranking a building
inventory, it is suggested that, as a starting basis,
SPI scores less than 10 would indicate low
priority, from 10 to 20 medium priority, and
over 20 high priority for further, more detailed
seismic investigations. Buildings with SPI
scores over 30 can be considered potentially
hazardous.
75
APPENDIX A
SEISMIC ZONES NBC 1990
Information on seismic zones for particular locations in Canada can be obtained from the
Supplement to the National Building Code of Canada 1990, Chapter 1, Climatic Information for
Building Design in Canada.
77
f)
o
.04
I
.08
2
.11
3
.16
4
.23
5
.32
6
km
o 200 400 600
I , ! !
BR 6470-11
Figure A-I
Contours of Peak Horizontal Ground Accelerations (in g) Having a Proba-
bility of Exceeding by 10% in 50 Years (from Appendix J, NBC, 1990)
Figure A-2
D
m/s
y
Zy
0
0 0
.04
.08
.05 I
.10 2
.11
.15 3
.16
<D .20 4
.23
N
.30 5
"?
.32
.40 6
~ ~
....... _ ~
o 200 400 600
, , , !
Contours of Peak Horizontal Ground Velocities (in mls) Having a Probability
of Exceeding by 10% in 50 Years (from Appendix J, NBC 1990)
78
APPENDIX B
EXAMPLES
To illustrate the seismic screening
procedure, three examples are presented
here, which should provide insight into the
screening procedure. Short descriptions of
the buildings are presented below.
Example 1 A four-storey wood-frame
building with stud walls and with a fIrst
floor occupied by garages has an obvious
irregularity classilled as a soft storey. The
foundation is built of bricks and placed on
soft clays of total thickness > 10 m. The
walls are constructed of horizontal wood
siding with brick veneer. Roof is made of
. wood joists and rafters with diagonal
sheathing. Building does not have any plan
irregularities. The occupancy load is typical
for residential buildings. The year of
construction is 1926. Building location is in
effective seismic zone 5.
Example 2 A two-storey steel framed
building has 36.6 x 36.6 m (120 x 120 ft) in
plan, with 6.1 x 6.1 m (20 x 20 it) bays.
The building was built in 1956 in effective
seismic zone 5. This building is underlain
by a number of different soil layers. The
total thickness of soft clays is less than 15
m. There are no structural walls. The
exterior walls have windows all
around and the interior walls form non-
structural partitions. The floor is made of
steel deck connected to steel columns. There
are frames in both transverse and
longitudinal directions. The top and bottom
flanges of the beams are connected to the
flanges of the columns with clip angles.
Thus, the building is a frame structure in
both directions with some small moment-
resisting capacity.
Example 3 A single-storey industrial
building measures 56.4 x 161.0 m (185 x
528 it) in plan. The building was built in
three stages in 1940, in an area of effective
seismic zone 4. The building foundation
rests on different soil layers and the total
thickness of the soft clay is more than 15 m.
The building is quite open; the structural
system is plain to see. There are transverse
steel moment frames at 7.31 m (24 ft) on
centre. These frames have three bays of
various widths and heights. In the transverse
direction the building can therefore be
classifIed a Steel Moment Frame (SMF). In
the longitudinal direction, there is diagonal
bracing along all four of the transverse
frames in seven out of 22 of the 7.31-m (24-
ft) bays. In this direction, the building can
be classifIed as a Steel Braced Frame (SBF).
79
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM p.10f2 liTEM No.: 1
Address: J Bn::Jpq Postal Code:K2 c. 3 re Bldg. Name:
-
No. of storeys:
If
I Total Floor Area:
'1-80
m
2
IYear Built:
/'126
Design NBC:
.-
Primary use (see list on p. 2): Heritage Designation:
-
Inspector:
Nf
I Date: 42. -02 - 05" Checked by:
JlR
10.""
""i- t
of
J][[I

AvE.
f1
no
OD
I
I
w",,,,j
Ni
D 0 0 0
V
50*""""""\
-I
wo..\l


/
O""e VI

V

/7"t avai/Mle.
SOF'
.--f\oo...-
'Woo.1
==
'/->-"";7'
I:>';j -=-
b,.'el<. vCVJ<e-.,.
Sketch Photo
TYPE OF STRUCTURE (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.2
BM BUILDING IRREGULARITIES (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.3
Wood
Wood Light Frame
1. Vertical Abrupt changes in plan dimensions over height
WPB Wood, Post and Beam
90
Irregularity (e.g. setback or building on hill)
SMF Steel Moment Frame
2. Horizontal Irregular building shapes such as 'L', 'V', 'Eo, "T',
Steel
SBF 'Steel Braced Frame
IrregUlarity eccentric stiffness in plan (e.g. shear wall on only
SLF Steel Light Frame
(Torsion) one side of building)
90
SCW Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
3. Short Short columns restrained by partial storey height
Walls
Concrete
walls (structural or infill) or deep spandrels
SIW Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Columns
Shear Walls
4.@oft Storey. Severe reduction of stiffness caused by
Concrete CMF Concrete Moment Frame discontinuous shear walls, openings, etc.
CSW Concrete Shear Walls

CIW Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry
Separation between buildings less than
Shear Walls
85 20 Xno. of storeys (In mm)
PCF Precast Concrete Frame
6. Major Any change in function, use or addition which
PCW Precast Concrete Walls
Modifi-
results in significant increase in loading or weight
RML Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls
cations
Masonry with Wood or Metal Deck Floors

Structural elements are damaged, poor condition of
or Roofs
atlon building is apparent (corroded reinforcement or
RMC Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls 90
-
steel, rotted wood, poor concrete or masonry)
with Concrete Diaphragms
URM Unreinforced Masonry Bearing
8. None None of the irregularities listed above is present.
Wall BUilding
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS (Circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.4
F
1
Falling Hazards to Life:
Exterior: Masonry chimneys, stone / precast panels, non-safety glass, or canopies over exits and walkways
Interior: Heavy components; masonry partitions; non-safety glass in egress areas; storage shelves which may collapse onto areas of human occupancy
F
2
Hazards to Continuous Operation of Special Buildings: Equipment or lifelines required for continuous operation of special facilities. The owner
or authority should provide alist of critical items needed for continuing operations.
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
80
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM
p. 2of 2 ITEM No.:
5-
SEISMIC PRIORIN INDEX: Circle appropriate value and enter each result on right side. Use asterisk (') uncertain values
Design
Effective Seismic Zone (Zv or Zv +1if Za >Zv)
NBC 2 3 4 5 6
A Seismicity
Pre - 65 1.0 1.5 2.0
CW
4.0
A=S.D
65 - B4 1.0 1.0 1.3 .5 2.0
Post - 85 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
Soil Category
Soil
NBC
Rock or Stiff 5011 Soft Soil
Vel)' Soft or Unknown
B
Conditions
Stiff 5011 >50 m >15 m
Liquefiable Soli Soil
8=2.0
Pre - 65
1.0 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.5
Post- 65
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5
Construction Type and Symboi (see p. 1)
Design
Wood Steel Concrete Precast
Masonl)'
Masonry
NBC Inflll
C
Type of
SBF SCW CMF CSW PCF pcw SIW,CIW RML, RMC URM
c= /.2
Structure
(8M = Benchmark
Pre70 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.5
70 - BM 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.5 3.5
year, see p.l)
Post - BM 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
3. Short
4.Soft 5. 6. Modifi- 7. Dete-
D=product
1. Vertical 2. Horiz. Concrete 8. None
Building
NBC
Columns
Storey
Pounding
cation rioration
of circled
D
Irregularities
@
@
Numbers
Pre70 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.0 (Max of4.0) =
Post 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.3 1.0
37
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS Description (see p. 1) None Vf16 Ves '
F
I-'F':";l'r-'-Fa-lI;;"in'-'g':";Haz:";a:";r;";ds"'t;;"o max
Post - 70 NBC 1.0 2.0 3.0 6. 0
F2 Hazards to Vital Operations Any Vear 1.0 3.0 . 6.0 =
applies only if one or more of the following descriptors on page 1are circled: SMF, CMF, soft slorey, torsion
SI= 2{1.$
Assembly
Mercantile, Personal service
Offices, Institutional, Manufacturing
Residential
Storage
Building
Importance
D
L 0 Normal School, or Post Disaster, or Special
eSlgn ow ccupancy Occupancy High Occupancy Very High Occup. Operational
NBC N<10 N= 10300 N= 301 - 3000 N>3000 Requirements
r.:--=--+------i---"-::::::=::::=-t-"--:;.:;.;,--:..:=-j---''--'-:..:..:.--t----'-:-:--1 E= t,o
Pre-70 0.7 @ 1.5 2.0 3.0
Post 70 0.7 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0
E/---:-:-:---:-:-'--:--'----'----L.......:;;-:-::----:-'-::::---r=,.-'---7:=:----J.---i
N=Occupied Area x Occupancy Density x Duration Factor' = .. .3. Po.. x.a,oS:..x.. .Q.... = /8
Primal)' Use: ' Duration Factor is equal to the
1 550 average weekly hours 01 human
0.2 50 eo occupancy divided by 100, not
greater than 1.0
0 ;::;;;;:r-------.I

SPI SPI = '31,5
Comments: Soff
81
From: Manual for Screening 01 Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM p.1 of 2 liTEM No.: 2
Address:
2/ Green Rd. . AnllV/lle Postal Code: k'le 27:; Bldg. Name:
-
No. of storeys:
2.
I Total Floor Area: 2680 m
2
IYear Built: /'9Sb Design NBC:
1953
Primary use (see list on p. 2):
IHeritage Designation:
-
Inspector: M:r I Date: 92 -02-Z{, Checked by:
IIR
I --1-1--I--1-I
1==1=1=1=1=1
1 --1--1-1--1-1
{
1==
IJ)
---
r--
M
+
II
<4-
J==
- C)

C\J
r--
'-'
)(
1==

I--
1==
I--
- Nor /lVA-IL I9Bt.t:
k
(0,.. G.I: 3G.GY>'
-I
\. 20 )
Sketch Photo
TYPE OF STRUCTURE (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.2
BM BUILDING IRREGULARITIES (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.3
WLF Wood Light Frame
1. Vertical Abrupt changes in plan dimensions over height
Wood
WPB Wood, Post and Beam
90
Irregularity (e.g. setback or building on hill)

Steel Moment Frame
2. Horizontal Irregular building shapes such as "L", "V", "E", "T",
Steel Irregularity eccentric stiffness in plan (e.g. shear wall on only
SBF Steel Braced Frame
(Torsion) one side of building)
SLF Steel Light Frame
90
SCW Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
3. Short Short columns restrained by partial storey height
Walls
Concrete
walls (structural or infill) or deep spandrels
SIW Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Columns
Shear Walls
4. Soft Storey Severe reduction of stiffness caused by
Concrete CMF Concrete Moment Frame discontinuous shear walls, openings, etc.
CSW Concrete Shear Walls
CIW Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry 5. Pounding Separation between buildings less than
Shear Walls
85
20 Zy xno. of storeys (in mm)
PCF Precast Concrete Frame
6. Major Any change in function, use or addition which
PCW Precast Concrete Walls
Modifi-
results in significant increase in loading or weight
cations
RMl Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls
Masonry with Wood or Metal Deck Floors 7. Deterior- Structural elements are damaged, poor condition of
or Roofs
ation building is apparent (corroded reinforcement or
RMC Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls 90
steel, rotted wood, poor concrete or masonry)
with Concrete Diaphragms

URM Unreinforced Masonry Bearing
None of the irregularities listed above is present.
Wall Building
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS (Circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.4
F1 Falling Hazards to Life:
Exterior: Masonry chimneys, parapets, veneer or stone / precast panels, non-safety glass, or canopies over exits and walkways
Interior: Heavy components; masonry partitions; non-safety glass in egress areas; storage shelves which may collapse onto areas of human occupancy
F
2
Hazards to Continuous Operation of Special Buildings: Equipment or lifelines reqUired for continuous operation of special facilities. The owner
or authority should provide alist of critical items needed for continuing operations.
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
82
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM 1p.2 of 2 liTEM No.: 2.
SEISMIC PRIORITY INDEX: Circle appropriate value and enter each result on right side. Use asterisk (*) with uncertain values
Design Effective Seismic Zone (Zv, or Zv +1if Za >Zv)
NBC 2 3 4 5 6
A Seismicity
Pre - 65 1.0 1.5 2.0 @
65 - 84 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.5
Post - 85 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
4.0
2.0
1.0
Design
Soil Category
Soil
NBC
Rock or Stiff Soil Soft Soil Very Soft or Unknown
B
Conditions
Stiff Soil >50 m > 15 m
Liquefiable Soil Soil
B=/3
Pre - 65
1.0 @) 1.5 2.0 1.5
Post - 65
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5
Construction Type and Symbol (see p. 1)
Design
Wood Steel Concrete Precast
Masonry
Masonry
NBC Infill
C
Type of
WLF WPB SLF SMf SBF SCW CMF CSW PCF PCW SIW,CIW RML, RMC URM
c= /'Z
Structure
(BM = Benchmark
Pre - 70 1.2 2.0 1.0

1.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.5

70 - BM 1.2 2.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.5 3.5
year, see p.1)
Post - BM 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
3. Short
4.Soft 5. 6. Modifi- 7. Dete-
D= product
1. Vertical 2. Horiz. Concrete 8. None
Building
NBC
Columns
Storey
Pounding
cation rioration
of circled
D
Irregularities
@
Numbers
Pre - 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 (Max of 4.0) =
Post - 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.0
/.0
=/.0
F=max
* Duration Factor is equal to the
average weekly hours of human
occupancy divided by 100, not
greater than 1.0
ill .... II SI = Lh7
None Yes Yes *
Assembly
Mercantile, Personal service
Offices, Institutional, Manufacturing
Residential
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS Description (see p. 1)
Pre 70 NBC (1]').0 3.0 6.0
Post - 70 NBC """'ttr 2.0 3.0
F2 Hazards to Vital Operations Any Year 1.0 3.0 6.0
applies only if one or more of the following descriptors on page 1are circled: SMF, CMF, soft storey, torsion
Design L 0 Normal School, or Post Disaster, or Special
ow ccupancy Occupancy High Occupancy Very High Occup. Operational
Building NBC N< 10 N= 10 - 300 N= 301 - 3000 N>3000 Requirements
Importance E= /,0
Pre -70 0.7 CID 1.5 2.0 3.0
Post - 70 0.7 . 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0
Et------'-------I..----...L.-----.l--:::;--::...-:='
N=Occupied Area xOccupancy Density xDuration Factor* =. x. .at. .... x. $:... = /3'1
Primary Use' Occupancy Density Average Weekly Hours
. Persons / m2 of Human Occupancy
1 550
cV:>
Storage 0.01 - 0.02 100
SI. '.' "> ;1 ......... .......>.
F F1 Falling Hazards to Life
SPJ SEISMIC PRIORITY INDEX = SI+ NSI=1f .' H. >...H SPI =6.0
Comments:
83
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM p.1 of 2 liTEM No.:
3
Address: Sr;, Postal Code:K3r 'l-7t Bldg. Name:
-
No. of storeys:
/
I Total Floor Area: 9tJ90 m
2
IYear Built: /9110 Design NBC:
-
Primary use (see list on p. 2): Ml!lnu/:...... "lit4 IHeritage Designation:
-
Inspector: H;T I Date: - 02-27 Checked by:
1;,0,4
+
'2"1 . \'V\
1 ,..,
,
''''It-')'} <
"'(3 S I )
_C>..

;;-

.-..--J

-::::::-c::::

---...,
I
D
(
-':-. L
I

flpf t:(V41/M!e..
r?".A \ I

I: .:.-J ... ,
!_..1


Sketch Photo
TYPE OF STRUCTURE (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.2
BM BUILDING IRREGULARITIES (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.3
WLF Wood Light Frame
Abrupt changes in plan dimensions over height
Wood
WPB Wood, Post and Beam
90
Irregulari (e.g. setback or building on hill)

Steel Moment Frame

Irregular bUilding shapes such as L, V, E, "T.,
Steel
Steel Braced Frame
Irregularity eccentric stiffness in plan (e.g. shear wall on only
orsion one side of building)
SLF Steel Light Frame
90
-
SCW
Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
3. Short Short columns restrained by partial storey height
Walls
Concrete
walls (structural or infill) or deep spandrels
SIW Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Columns
Shear Walls
4. Soft Storey Severe reduction of stiffness caused by
Concrete CMF Concrete Moment Frame discontinuous shear walls, openings, etc.
CSW Concrete Shear Walls
CIW Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry 5. Pounding
Separation between buildings less than
Shear Walls
85
20 Zy x no. of storeys (in mm)
PCF Precast Concrete Frame
6. Major Any change in function, use or addition which
PCW Precast Concrete Walls
Modifi-
results in significant increase in loading or weight
cations
RML Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls
Masonry with Wood or Metal Deck Floors 7. Deterior- Structural elements are damaged, poor condition of
or Roofs
ation building is apparent (corroded reinforcement or
RMC Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls 90
steel, rotted wood, poor concrete or masonry)
with Concrete Diaphragms
URM ,Unreinforced Masonry Bearing
8. None None of the irregularities listed above is present.
Wall Building
NON STRUCTURAL HAZARDS (Circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.4
F
1
Falling Hazards to Life:
Exterior: Masonry chimneys, parapets, veneer or stone I precast panels, non-safety glass. or canopies over exits and walkways
Interior: Heavy components; masonry partitions; non-safety glass in egress areas; storage shelves which may collapse onto areas of human occupancy
F2 Hazards to Continuous Operation of Special Buildings: Equipment or lifelines required for continuous operation of special facilities. The owner
or authority should provide alist of critical items needed for continuing operations.
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
84
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM I p. 2 of 2 liTEM No.: 3
SEISMIC PRIORITY INDEX: Circle appropriate value and enter each result on right side. Use asterisk (.) with uncertain values
Design
NBC 2
Effective Seismic Zone (Zv, or Zv + 1 if Za >Zv)
3 4 5 6
A Seismicity
Pre - 65
65 - 84
Post - 85
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.5
1.0
1.0

1.0
3.0
1.5
1.0
4.0
2.0
1.0
A=2,o
Design
Soil Category
Soil
NBC
Rock or Stiff Soil Soft Soil Very Soft or Unknown
B
Conditions
Stiff Soil >50 m >15 m
Liquefiable Soil Soil B=/.S-
Pre - 65
1.0 1.3
qf
2.0 1.5
Post - 65 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5
Design
Construction Type and Symbol (see p. 1)
Wood Steel Concrete Precast
Masonry
Masonry
NBC Infill
C
Type of
WLF WPB SLF SMF SBF SCW CMF CSW PCF PCW SIW,CIW RML, RMC URM C=I,s-
Structure
(BM =Benchmark
Pre - 70 1.2 2.0 1.0( 1,im 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.5
70 - BM 1.2 2.0 1.0 TI 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.5 3.5
year, see p.1)
Post - BM 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
3. Short
4.Soft 5. 6. Modifi- 7. Dete-
0= product
1. Vertical 2. Horiz. Concrete 8. None
Building
NBC
Columns
Storey
Pounding
cation rioration
of circled
D
Irregularities
GY
@
Numbers
Pre - 70 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 (Max of 4.0) =
Post - 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.0
/,9
51 = /2.J>
Duration Factor is equal to the
average weekly hours of human
occupancy divided by 100, not
greater than 1.0
Assembly
Mercantile, Personal service
Offices, Institutional, Manufacturing
Residential
Storage
D
L 0 Normal School, or Post Disaster, or Special
eSlgn ow ccupancy Occupancy High Occupancy Very High Gccup. Operational
Building NBC N<10 N=10 - 300 N=301 - 3000 N>3000 Requirements
Importance I-----!-----.j-....:..:..-:...:........:...:....:--+-..:..:-...:::,:===..:...:....:--!-----:..:...:.......;:..:...:.:=---+----:-----........._.l E=/.
Pre -70 0.7 1.0 QD 2.0 3.0
Post - 70 0.7 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0

N=Occupied Area xOccupancy Density xDuration Factor = .. x.. ad..... x. . . . = tH;1f
Primary Use' Occupancy Density Average Weekly Hours
. Persons / m2 of Human Occupancy
1 5 - 50

0.01 - 0.02 100
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS Description (see p. 1) None Yes
F F1 Falling Hazards to Life qr
F2 Hazards to Vital Operations Any Year 1.0 3.0
Yes
6.0 F= max
3.0
6.0
applies only if one or more of the following descriptors on page 1are circled: SMF, eMF, soft storey, torsion
NSINON > N51 =2.3
5PI =1.5':1
Comments:
85
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC Ottawa, September 1992
APPENDIXC
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM
SEISMIC SCREENING INVENTORY FORM
87
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM p.1 of 2 liTEM No.:
Address: Postal Code: Bldg. Name:
No. of storeys: I Total Floor Area: m
2
IYear Built: Design NBC:
Primary use (see list on p. 2): IHeritage Designation:
Inspector: I Date: Checked by:
Sketch Photo
TYPE OF STRUCTURE (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.2
BM BUILDING IRREGULARITIES (circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.3
WLF Wood Light Frame
1. Vertical Abrupt changes in plan dimensions over height
Wood
WPB Wood, Post and Beam
90
Irregularity (e.g. setback or building on hill)
SMF Steel Moment Frame
2. Horizontal Irregular building shapes such as "L", "V, "E", "r,
Steel
SBF Steel Braced Frame
Irregularity eccentric stiffness in plan (e.g. shear wall on only
SLF Steel Light Frame
(Torsion) one side of building)
90
SCW Steel Frame with Concrete Shear
3. Short Short columns restrained by partial storey height
Walls
Concrete
walls (structural or infill) or deep spandrels
SIW Steel Frame with Infill Masonry Columns
Shear Walls
4. Soft Storey Severe reduction of stiffness caused by
Concrete CMF Concrete Moment Frame discontinuous shear walls, openings, etc.
CSW Concrete Shear Walls
CIW Concrete Frame with Infill Masonry 5. Pounding Separation between buildings less than
Shear Walls
85
20 ~ x no. of storeys (in mm)
PCF Precast Concrete Frame
6. Major Any change in function, use or addition which
PCW Precast Concrete Walls
Modifl-
results in significant increase in loading or weight
cations
RML Reinforced Masonry e r i n ~ Walls
Masonry with Wood or Metal Deck loors 7. Deterior- Structural elements are damaged, poor condition of
or Roofs
alion building is apparent (corroded reinforcement or
RMC Reinforced Masonry Bearing Walls 90
steel, rotted wood, poor concrete or masonry)
with Concrete Diaphragms
URM Unreinforced Masonry Bearing
8. None None of the irregularities listed above is present.
Wall Building
NON - STRUCTURAL HAZARDS (Circle appropriate descriptors) see 4.3.4
F
1
Falling Hazards to Life:
Exterior: Masonry chimneys, parapets, veneer or stone / precast panels, non-safety glass, or canopies over exits and walkways
Interior: Heavy components; masonry partitions; non-safety glass in egress areas; storage shelves which may collapse onto areas of human occupancy
F2 Hazards to Continuous Operation of Special Buildings: Equipment or lifelines required for continuous operation of special facilities. The owner
or authority shOUld provide alist of critical items needed for continuing operations.
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC, Canada, Ottawa, September 1992 88
SEISMIC SCREENING FORM I p. 2of 2 liTEM No.:
SEISMIC PRIORITY INDEX: Circle appropriate value and enter each result on right side. Use asterisk (*) with uncertain values
Design
Effective Seismic Zone (Zv, or Zv +1if Za >Zv)
NBC 2 3 4 5 6
A Seismicity
Pre - 65 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0
A=
65 - 84 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.5 2.0
Post - 85 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
Soil Category
Soil
NBC
Rock or Stiff Soil Soft Soil Very Soft or Unknown
B Stiff Soil >50 m >15 m
Uquefiable Soil Soil
B=
Conditions
Pre - 65 1.0 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.5
Post - 65 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5
Construction Type and Symbol (see p. 1)
Design
Wood Steel Concrete Precast
Masonry
Masonry
NBC Infill
C
Type of
WLF WPB SLF SMF SBF SCW CMF CSW PCF PCW SIW,CIW RML, RMC URM
c=
Structure
Pre - 70 1.2 2.0 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.5
(BM =Benchmark
70 - BM 1.2 2.0 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.5 3.5
year, see p.1)
Post - BM 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Design
3. Short
4.Soft 5. 6. Modifi- 7. Dete-
0= product
1. Vertical 2. Horiz. Concrete 8. None
Building
NBC
Columns
Storey
Pounding
cation rloration
of circled
0
Irregularities
Numbers
Pre - 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 (Max of 4.0) =
Post - 70 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.0
Design Low Occupancy
Normal School, or Post Disaster, or Special
Building
NBC N<10

High Occupancy Very High Occup. Operational
Importance
N=10-30 N=301 - 3000 N>3000 Requirements
E=
Pre - 70 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0
Post - 70 0.7. 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0
E
* Duration Factor is equal to the
average weekly hours of human
occupancy divided by 100, not
greater than 1.0
Assembly
Mercantile, Personal service
Offices, Institutional, Manufacturing
Residential
Storage
N=Occupied Area x Occupancy Density x Duration Factor* = x x =
Primary Use' Occupancy Density Average Weekly Hours
. Persons / m2 of Human Occupancy
1 5 - 50
0.2 50 - 80
0.1 5060
0.05 100
0.01 - 0.02 100
e.c.[).E'::.> .
NON-STRUCTURALHAZARDS Description (see p. 1) None Yes Yes *
Falling Hazards to Life
Pre - 70 NBC 1.0 3.0 6.0
F = max (F
1
, F2)
F
F,
Post - 70 NBC 1.0 2.0 3.0
F2
Hazards to Vital Operations Any Year 1.0 3.0 6.0
applies only if one or more of the following descriptors on page 1are circled: SMF, CMF, soft storey, torsion
NSI NON STRUCTURALINDEX B.E.j::::i>.... <. i>>,...................... ........ .'."""' .........) NSI =
SPISEISMICP.RI()RITY.INDEXi= Ei . <. }>} .........>...... .. i SPI =
Comments:
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC. Canada, Ottawa, September 1992 89
SEISMIC SCREENING INVENTORY FORM Attach asterisks (*) to uncertain values IPage No.:
SI NSI SPI
Priority
Item
Non- Seismic Address and/or Name of Building
Structural
for
Comments
No.
Structural Priority
Evaluation
Index
Index Index
From: Manual for Screening of Existing Buildings for Seismic Investigation, IRC / NRC, Canada, Ottawa, September 1992
90