TECHNIQUES IN

SEISMIC DESIGN
Prepared by: Christian M. Dayrit
Classifications of
Building
• Symmetrical
• Assymetrical

Techniques in Seismic Design

 SYMMETRICAL
• Regular
• Irregular

Techniques in Seismic Design 3

 ASYMMETRICAL
• All asymmetrical buildings are Irregular

Techniques in Seismic Design 4

 REGULAR BUILDING
A building that has both its center of mass and center of resistance
located at the same point.

Techniques in Seismic Design 5

IRREGULAR BUILDING
A building that has difference between center of mass and center of
resistance .

Techniques in Seismic Design 6

 CENTER OF The center of rigidity is a point at a particular story as the
R E S I S TA N C E O R location of application of lateral load at that point will not
produce rotation of that story.
RIGIDITY

Techniques in Seismic Design 7

Sydney Opera
House
Hard Rock
Building
 To r s i o n E c c e n t r i c i t y
Torsion is created when the center of mass (CM) and the center of rigidity or resistance (CR) in
the building do not coincide - the distance between these two points is referred to as torsion
eccentricity.

10
To r s i o n E c c e n t r i c i t y [ TO R ]

Example of Regular Building

For at least one direction (across or along the building) the center of rigidity or resistance is located anywhere beyond the
half-way point between the center of a typical floor plan and the side of the building.

Techniques in seismic design 11

To r s i o n E c c e n t r i c i t y [ TO R ]

Irregular Building Example

Techniques in seismic design 12

 Why build
asymmetrical
buildings?
Plan Structural Irregularities

1a 3
To r s i o n a l I r r e g u l a r i t y Diaphragm Discontinuity

1b 4
O u t - o f - p l a n e O ff s e t s
E x t r e m e To r s i o n a l I r r e g u l a r i t y

2 5
Re-entrant Corners Nonparallel Systems

Structural Irregularities 14
 Type 1:
Torsional
Irregularities 1a - Torsional Irregularity
– larger story drift more than 1.2 times average story
drift
1b - Extreme Torsional Irregularity
– larger story drift more than 1.4 times average story
drift
– Not permitted in Design Categories E & F
 Type 2:
Re-entrant
Corners
Both projections beyond the corner are more
than 15% of the plan dimension of the
structure in the same direction
 Type 3:
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 story to the
next.
 Type 4:
Out-of-Plane
Offsets Discontinuities in a lateral force resistance path,
such as out-of-plane offsets of the vertical elements.
Design forces for lateral force connections to be
increased 25% in Design Categories D, E, & F.
 Type 5:
Nonparallel
Systems The vertical lateral force-resisting elements are not
parallel to or symmetric about the major orthogonal
axes of the lateral force resisting system.
Analyze for forces applied in the direction that
causes the most critical load effect for Design
Categories C - F.
THANK YOU!