Building Configuration

Requirements (NSCP 208.4.5)

Slides prepared by: Joe Davidson B. Guzman
Section 208.4.5 Configuration requirements
Each structure shall be designated as being structurally regular or
irregular in accordance with sections 208.4.5.1 and 208.4.5.2

208.4.5.1 Regular Structures

Regular structures have no significant physical discontinuities in plan
or vertical configuration or in their lateral-force-resisting systems such
as the irregular features described in Section 208.4.5.2
Section 208.4.5 Configuration requirements
208.4.5.2 Irregular structures
1. Irregular structures have significant physical discontinuities in configuration or in their
lateral-force-resisting-systems. Irregular features include, but are not limited to, those
described in Tables 208-9 and 208-10. All structures in occupancy categories 4 and 5 in
Seismic zone 2 need to be evaluated only for vertical irregularities of Type 5 (Table 208-9)
and horizontal irregularities of Type 1(Table 208-10).
2. Structures having any of the features listed in table 208-9 shall be designated as if having
a vertical irregularity
(exception: where no storey drift ratio under design lateral forces is greater than 1.3 times
the storey drift ratio of the storey above, the structure may be deemed to not have the
structural irregualarities of Type 1 or 2 in Table 209-9. The storey drift ratio for the top two
stories need not be considered. The storey drifts for this determination may be calculated
neglecting torsional effects.)

3. Structures having any of the features listed in Table 208-10 shall be designated as having
a plan irregularity.
HORIZONTAL (PLAN) IRREGULARITIES
• Torsional Irregularity
• Extreme Torsional Irregularity
• Re-entrant Corners
• Diaphragm Discontinuity
• Out-of-plane Offsets
• Non parallel systems
Torsional Irregularities
Torsional irregularity shall be considered to
exist when the maximum storey drift,
computed including accidental torsion, at one
end of the structure transverse to an axis:
Torsional irregularity
• Larger storey drift more than 1.2 times
average storey drift
Extreme Torsional irregularity
• Larger storey drift more than 1.4 times
average storey drift

Reference Section 208.7.2.7 Item no. 6

Re-entrant Corners
Plan configurations of a structure and
its lateral-force-resisting system contain
re-entrant corners, where both
projections beyond the corner are
more than 15% of the plan dimension
of the structure in the same direction

Reference section 208.7.2.7 Items 6

and 7
Diaphragm Discontinuities
Diaphragms with abrupt discontinuities or
variations in stiffness, including those
having cutout or open areas greater than
50% of the gross enclosed diaphragm area,
or changes in effective diaphragm stiffness
of more than 50% from one storey to the
next

Reference section 208.7.2.7 Item no. 6

Out-of-plane offsets
Discontinuities in a lateral force
resistance path, such as out-of-plane
offsets of the vertical elements

Reference section 208.5.8.5.1 and

208.7.2.7 Item no. 6
Non-Parallel Systems
The vertical lateral force-resisting
elements are not parallel to or
symmetric about the major orthogonal
axes of the lateral force resisting system

Reference section 208.7.1

Summary of Horizontal (Plan) Irregularities
Torsional
Irregularity

Extreme Torsional
Irregularity

Re-entrant corners
Summary of Horizontal (Plan) Irregularities

Diaphragm
discontinuity

Offset

Non-parallel systems
VERTICAL IRREGULARITIES
• Stiffness Irregularity – Soft Story
• Stiffness Irregularity – Extreme Soft Story
• Weight (Mass) Irregularity
• Vertical Geometry Irregularity
• In-plane Discontinuity in Vertical Lateral Force Resisting Moments
• Discontinuity in Capacity – Weak Story
Stiffness Irregularities
Soft Story
• The lateral stiffness is less than 70% of that
in the storey above or less than 80% of the
average stiffness of the three stories above
Extreme soft story
• The lateral stiffness is less than 60% of that
in the storey above or less than 70% of the
average stiffness of the three stories above.

Reference Section: 208.4.8.3 Item 2

Weight (mass) irregularity
Mass Irregularity
Shall be considered to exist where the
effective mass of any storey is more than
150% of the effective mass of an adjacent
storey. A roof that is lighter than the floor
below need not be considered.

Reference section: 208.4.8.3 Item no. 2

Vertical geometric irregularity
Vertical geometry irregularity shall be
considered to exist where the
horizontal dimension of the lateral
force-resisting system in any storey is
more than 130% of that in an adjacent
storey. One-storey penthouses need
not be considered.

Reference section 208.4.8.3 Item no. 2

In-plane Discontinuity in Vertical
Lateral Force Resisting Elements
An in-plane offset of the lateral
force-resisting elements greater than
the length of those elements or a
reduction in stiffness in the resisting
element in the storey below

Reference section 208.5.8.1.5.1

Discontinuity in Capacity – Weak Storey Irregularity
Weak storey
The storey strength is less than 80% of
that in the storey above. The storey
strength is the total strength of all
seismic-resisting elements sharing the
storey for the direction under
consideration.
Extreme weak storey
The storey strength is less than 65% of
that in the storey above

Reference section 208.4.9.1

Summary of Vertical Irregularity
Stiffness Irregularity
(soft storey)

Stiffness Irregularity
(extreme soft storey)

Weight (mass)
irregularity
Summary of Vertical Irregularity
Vertical Geometric
Irregularity

Discontinuity in lateral
strength (weak storey)

In-plane discontinuity in
vertical-lateral-force-
resisting systems Discontinuity in lateral
strength (extreme weak
storey)
Classification of Structural Systems
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Lateral force resisting system
• The part of the structure that connect the structure’s mass to the ground and resist or
otherwise accommodate these displacements or equivalent forces
• Capable of resisting only forces that result from ground motions parallel to them
• Differs from building to building because the type of system is controlled to some
extent by the basic layout and structural elements of the building

• Axial (tension and/or

compression
bracing) elements
• Shear (wall)
elements
• Bending resistant
(frame) elements
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Diaphragms
• Horizontal load distributing elements (floor or floor slabs, but can be horizontally
braced (i.e. truss) elements.

• Axial (tension and/or

compression
bracing) elements
• Shear (wall)
elements
• Bending resistant
(frame) elements
Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Traditional earthquake force resisting systems

Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Moment-resisting frames
These frames are capable of resisting lateral
loads;
• the connections between the beams and
the columns are designed to resist the
rotation of the column relative to the beam
• The beam and the column work together
and resist lateral movement by vending
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Braced frames
• 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, or with
integral concrete or masonry sheal walls
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Shear walls
• Shear walls are continuous walls
extending from the foundation to the
roof of the building and can be exterior
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 be constructed of cast-in-
place reinforced concrete, precast
concrete, reinforced brick, reinforced
hollow concrete block (sometimes, steel
shear walls)
Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Emerging technologies for earthquake force reducing systems

• The general aim of these techniques has been the avoidance of earthquake-induced
forces, rather than their resistance
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Passive Control
Base isolation
• Consist of softening of the shear capacity
of a structure’s connection with the
ground, while maintaining vertical load-
carrying capacity, so as to reduce the
earthquake ground motion input to the
structure
• Uses various types of rubber, lead-
rubber, rubber-steel composite, other
types of bearings beneath columns
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Passive Control
Supplemental Damping
• The ideas is if damping can be
significantly increased, then structural
responses (forces and displacements) are
greatly reduced
• Includes friction systems based on
Coulumb friction, self-centering friction
resistance, or energy dissipation
mechanism
Lateral Force Resisting Systems
Active control
• Depends on actively modifying a
structure’s mass, stiffness or geometric
properties during its dynamic response in
such a manner so as to counteract and
reduce excessive displacements
• Tuned mass dampers, active tensioning
of tendons are current methods under
investigation
• A number of issues of reliability remain
to be resolved
Section 208.4.6 Structural Systems
Bearing wall system
• a structural system without a complete
vertical load-carrying space frame. Bearing
walls or braced systems provide support
for all or most gravity loads.

Building frame system

• A structural system with an essentially
complete space frame providing support
for gravity loads
Section 208.4.6 Structural Systems
Moment-Resisting frame System
• A structural system with an essentially
complete space frame pr providing support
for gravity loads. It provide resistance to
lateral load primarily by flexural action of
members

Dual Systems
• the MRFS shall be designed to independently
resist at least 25% of the design base shear
Section 208.4.6 Structural Systems
Cantilevered column system
• A structural system relying on
cantilevered column elements for lateral
resistance
Table 208-11 (A, B &C)
Earthquake-Force-Resisting-Structural Systems (Concrete, Steel and
Masonry) – CHECK NSCP!