Building 5 Karachi10StoreyOfficeBldg-Corrected
Building 5 Karachi10StoreyOfficeBldg-Corrected
Building 5 Karachi10StoreyOfficeBldg-Corrected
Summary
The building is located in a densely populated area in Karachi. It is a reinforced concrete framed
building with ten storeys above ground and twelve storeys total, including two basements. The
building is being used as an office building, therefore it is evaluated for the Life Safety (LS) level of
seismic performance, meaning that its occupants should survive the design level earthquake and be
able to exit the building safely. The reinforced concrete frame consists of flat slab with drop panel
and having outer peripheral beams. The building construction was completed in 2004. Project
participants selected this building as a case study because it has several potential seismic
vulnerabilities common to high rise buildings in Karachi: a weak story created by open working areas,
an eccentrically located reinforced concrete core, and heavy, stiff unreinforced masonry infill walls
that were not considered during the structural design of the building.
The case study team assessed the buildings potential seismic vulnerabilities using the US Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Prestandard 310 Tier 1 Checklist modified for Pakistan
conditions, as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standard 31 Tier 2 and 3
analyses and acceptance and modeling criteria from ASCE 41. The building was found to be
adequately designed. Some minor damage, which will not affect the stability of the building, may
occur in some columns at the ends of the building. However, the building is expected to meet the
Life Safety performance objective, and therefore no seismic retrofit is required.
Contents
Summary........................................................................................................................................... 2
About the Project .............................................................................................................................. 3
Case Study Participants ..................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Building Information.......................................................................................................................... 5
Site Information .............................................................................................................................. 11
Hazard Information ......................................................................................................................... 11
Initial and Linear Evaluations of Existing Building............................................................................. 11
Checklist-based Evaluation .......................................................................................................... 11
Linear Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 11
Detailed Evaluations of Existing Building.......................................................................................... 15
Hand Calculation Checks.............................................................................................................. 15
Results Summary............................................................................................................................. 16
Retrofit Solution.............................................................................................................................. 16
Conceptual Solutions Considered................................................................................................. 16
Appendix A: Tier 1 Checklists ........................................................................................................... 17
Appendix B: Linear Analysis (Tier 2) Results ..................................................................................... 19
Introduction
The Tier 1 vulnerability assessment exercise carried out by the team members gave them the
opportunity to evaluate a real building with all the physical constraints. On the basis of the
vulnerabilities found through the Tier 1 assessment, Tier 2 (linear static structural analysis) was
carried out to assess the vulnerabilities and potential solutions in more detail. This gave the
members the opportunity to do hands-on practice on ETABS and understand the ASCE/SEI 31-03 and
FEMA documents.
Building Information
The building, shown in Figure 1, is a ten storey office building, with two basements, a ground floor
and nine upper floors. The buildings overall dimensions are 65-0 wide by 301-0 long, and it is
approximately 90 feet tall from ground level. The building system consists of flat slabs with drop
panels and outer peripheral beams. RCC wall lift cores are eccentrically placed at the back side of the
building (way from the street shown below). The foundations are reinforced concrete isolated
spread footings with retaining walls on the periphery. The building is relatively new and is in
reasonably good condition. No condition assessments or repairs have been made.
The buildings architectural and structural drawings are shown in Figure 2 through Figure 6. Original
design calculations show that the building was designed according to ACI-99 and earthquake analysis
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Figure 2. Architectural plans of the building: basement and ground loft areas
ROOF PLAN
Figure 3. Architectural plans of the building: ground floor, typical floor and roof
Figure 4. Structural framing plans: basement (top) and ground floor (bottom)
Figure 5. Structural framing plans: mezzanine (top) and typical floor (bottom)
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Site Information
The building is located in an area with very dense soil and soft rock (Soil Profile Type is Sc). No
known active faults pass through or near the site. The bearing capacity of the soil is 3.0 tons per
square foot (tsf).
Hazard Information
Karachis current seismic zoning under the National Building Code of Pakistan is Zone 2B. However,
there is currently significant uncertainty regarding the severity of the citys seismic hazard. For this
reason, the building is being evaluated for Zone 4 of the 1997 Uniform Building Code with seismic
coefficients Ca=0.4, Cv=0.56. The site is not located near any known active faults so near-source
factors are not applicable.
Checklist
Building System
Tier 1
Non-compliant Items
Torsion irregularity
Mass irregularity
Story drift
Soft storey
Interfering wall
Proportions of infill walls
Flat slabs frames
Beam bar splices
Column tie spacing
Joint reinforcement
Joint eccentricity
Ties between foundation
elements
Linear Evaluation
Figure 7 shows the 3-D model of the building generated in ETABS Nonlinear version 9.7.0. The
peripheral beams and columns were modeled with linear beam-column elements, and the infill walls
were modeled with single linear compression struts. The reinforced concrete walls were modeled as
membrane area elements. The column strip approach was used to model typical floor beams
(120x7). The 7 inch thick slab was modeled as membrane area element. An over strength factor (R)
of 5.5 (for concrete building frame system having shear wall) was used for seismic analysis. The
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Peripheral Beam
Beam 120x7
Columns
Basement Wall
The team also conducted the other checks mandated in ASCE 31 for Tier 2 analysis based on the Tier
1 Checklist results. Despite using a modified FEMA 310 Tier 1 Checklist there was enough
correspondence between items in the ASCE 31 Tier 1 Checklist and the modified FEMA 310 checklist
to use ASCE 31s Tier 2 checks directly. For this building, the required Tier 2 checks were for torsion
irregularity (shown in Table 1), mass irregularity (shown in Table 2), soft storey (shown in Table 3)
and storey drift (shown in Table 4).
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Story
MassX
(k)
MassY
(k)
ROOF
NINE
EIGHT
SEVENTH
SIXTH
FIFTH
FOURTH
THIRD
SECOND
FIRST
MEZZNIANE
GROUND
BASEMENT-1
12.7014
10.8385
10.9089
10.9842
11.0509
11.1201
11.2366
11.2265
11.3066
11.3552
11.5241
13.4101
16.5975
12.7014
10.8385
10.9089
10.9842
11.0509
11.1201
11.2366
11.2265
11.3066
11.3552
11.5241
13.4101
16.5975
Mass <
150% of
below
story
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
-
Mass <
150% of
above
story
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
There is a heavy mass on the roof, but it is not more than 150% of the mass in the story below, so
there is no mass irregularity.
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Story
ROOF
NINE
EIGHT
SEVENTH
SIXTH
FIFTH
FOURTH
THIRD
SECOND
FIRST
MEZZNIANE
GROUND
Load
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
KBelow <
0.8 x K
Stiffness
Story Force
Total
Displacement
kips
inches
K
kip/in
864.01
389.05
355.88
322.51
288.43
253.95
219.95
182.6
146.74
111.26
47.03
43.81
7.734
6.9639
6.1646
5.3392
4.4966
3.6487
2.8171
2.0258
1.3077
0.7042
0.2509
0.0128
111.72
55.87
57.73
60.40
64.14
69.60
78.08
90.14
112.21
157.99
187.45
3422.66
SOFT STORY
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
Avg.of 3 above
stories
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
Story
ROOF
NINE
EIGHT
SEVENTH
SIXTH
FIFTH
FOURTH
THIRD
SECOND
FIRST
MEZZNIANE
GROUND
Load
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
EY
Story Force
kips
in.
K
kip/in
923.92
435.86
398.7
361.31
323.13
284.5
246.41
204.58
164.38
124.66
52.68
49.09
3.1671
2.8214
2.4694
2.1149
1.7632
1.4192
1.0907
0.7847
0.5163
0.3121
0.1514
0.0506
291.72
154.48
161.46
170.84
183.26
200.47
225.92
260.71
318.38
399.42
347.95
970.16
The above data show that a soft storey may exist on the 9th floor.
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KBelow <
0.8 x K
Stiffness
Total
Displacement
SOFT STORY
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
Avg.of 3 above
stories
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
OK
Story
ROOF
NINE
EIGHT
SEVENTH
SIXTH
FIFTH
FOURTH
THIRD
SECOND
FIRST
MEZZNIANE
GROUND
BASEMENT-1
DriftX
s
0.005377
0.005607
0.005799
0.005922
0.005962
0.005849
0.005567
0.005043
0.004218
0.003166
0.00167
0.000067
0.000023
Code
Modified
M = 0.7Rs
0.0207
0.0216
0.0223
0.0228 Max.
0.0230
0.0225
0.0214
0.0194
0.0162
0.0122
0.0064
0.0003
0.0001
DriftY
s
0.002505
0.002567
0.002592
0.002577
0.002525
0.002411
0.002241
0.001942
0.001443
0.001133
0.000708
0.000237
0.000116
Code
Modified
M = 0.7Rs
0.0096
0.0099
0.0100
0.0099
0.0097
0.0093
0.0086
0.0075
0.0056
0.0044
0.0027
0.0009
0.0004
Max.
The allowable drift value is 0.025 as per UBC 97 for a fundamental time period (Ta = 1.247 sec).
Therefore computed drifts do not exceed the allowable.
Results Summary
Following conclusions can be made from this seismic evaluation:
1. The building was originally designed for Seismic Zone 2B as per UBC. In general performance
of this building seems sufficient and building seems stable to resist seismic forces.
2.
The building structural system is a flat slab system, which according to ASCE 31-03 Tier 2:
Sec.4.4.1.4.3 is not recommended; therefore punching shear capacity of the flat slab and
slab-column connections are required to be checked. The buildings flat slab system has
been designed according to the shear design provisions of ACI 318 code. Punching shear
provisions were followed to estimate shear strength and to provide necessary shear
reinforcement in flat slab system. Punching shear capacity of one of the internal columns
has been checked manually and the result is satisfactory.
3.
According to the framing drawings, the bottom flexural bars in slabs are not passing through
the columns and are extended up to the center of the column; however top reinforcement is
passing through the column up to a length of L/4 on either side to avoid punching.
4.
According to linear static analysis of this sample building, all columns connected to slab
directly have demand/capacity ratio (DCR) < 1. Internal columns in the end framing bents
have DCRs greater than 1, but they are connected to stairs and/or peripheral beams (please
refer structural drawings) rather than the slab and have DCRs less than 2.
5. Demand capacity ratios are slightly greater than 1 for a small number of exterior columns at
second floor level where a shear wall terminates. This shear wall extends from ground to
below 2nd floor. Also many columns on grid A above the shear walls have DCRs greater than
1, but these columns are small. Most other columns are okay.
6. Beams seem okay - demand capacity ratios are just over 1 at the roof.
7. Building seems okay except for columns at ends. The low level of nonlinear behavior means
that there is unlikely to be a problem for building stability.
Retrofit Solution
Conceptual Solutions Considered
The damage to columns having 1< DCR<2 will just be cosmetic and not affect the structural stability
since there seems to be sufficient strength/stiffness in other bays to resist the seismic forces. But,
some thought should be given to whether the column damage would be acceptable to building
occupants. If it would not be acceptable, then some retrofit measures could be considered.
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