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Global Engineering Insight Webinar Seven Key Principles of Seismic Design for Architects and Engineers

AI Summary

 In this session, Andrew Charleson with 30 years of expertise in seismic design breaks down the principles that architects and engineers need to apply from the very first stages of a project. With ground motion being inherently unpredictable, early design decisions carry more weight than many realize, and the consequences of getting them wrong can be severe. Through real-world case studies drawn from across the globe, Andrew examines the vulnerabilities that are most commonly encountered in practice yet hardest to navigate, offering clear and actionable guidance for those looking to strengthen their approach to seismic design. 

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Description

 In this session, 30-year expert Andrew Charleson walks through the seven core principles that every architect and engineer should apply at the conceptual and preliminary design stage, from simple houses to multi-storey structures. Drawing on real-world case studies from around the globe, the session unpacks the vulnerabilities that are commonly encountered yet difficult to address  and offers practical guidance on how to approach them with confidence. 

Key Points

Structural Configuration from the Ground Up :
Validate whether your structural configuration provides adequate strength in two orthogonal directions, ensuring your building can withstand seismic forces from any horizontal direction, regardless of scale or typology.

The Seven Core Principles of Seismic Design:
Benchmark your design decisions against seven principles that must be addressed at the conceptual and preliminary stage, before the structural system is locked in and changes become costly.

Auditing Critical Vulnerabilities:
Evaluate whether your design has accounted for torsion, soft storeys, and masonry infill walls, all three of the most commonly overlooked yet consequential factors in seismic performance, before it's too late to act.

Speaker

Andrew Charleson Adjunct Professor Victoria University of Wellington
  Andrew Charleson specializes in two key areas: integrating structural design with architecture, as explored in Structure as Architecture (2006), and earthquake engineering from an architectural perspective. With over 30 years of experience, he focuses on translating complex technical knowledge into practical impact for real-world communities.  
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FAQs

Tech In the presentation, a shear wall was shown atop a deep beam. I am assuming that this deep beam is connected to columns. Won't this increase the column sizes due to load transfer from the beam to the columns? Expand or Collapse
Yes, the shear wall rises up from a foundation beam embedded in the ground. Under that foundation beam there may be a compression and tension pile at each end to help resist overturning moments at the base of the wall. I would never place a shear wall on columns as that would cause a soft storey.
Tech If infill walls are changing the behavior under earthquake loading, can engineer still omit the infill walls in doing correct analysis as infill walls are non-structural? Expand or Collapse
Even though infill walls are non-structural, where they are not separated from the structure they will function as structural elements during a quake. So, if engineers omit unseparated infills in their analysis, the analysis results will be very inaccurate, even meaningless. An infill is such a stiff element compared to frame action. Note that infills should be physically tied to the masonry to prevent out-of-plane collapse.
Tech How about glass glazing facade building, any advise on the structural framing? Expand or Collapse
Glazing framing must be designed to withstand wind pressure but also not be damaged due to the interstorey drifts during a quake. Glazing framing, therefore, must be detailed to allow relative movement between storeys while preventing the glazing from shattering. Google “seismic mullions”.
Tech Is the picture where the top column separated from the beam is because during construction where is not monolithic concrete pouring? Expand or Collapse
Damage to the tops of columns was caused when the forces in the diagonal struts that formed in the infills exceeded the shear strength of the columns. In this earthquake, after damaging the tops of the columns the infill walls collapsed under face loads as they were not physically tied to the columns. Damage has nothing to do with the sequence of the construction.
Tech For a Y shaped Building (3 Storied), should we design and construct as a single unit or would it be better to separate into 3 Units with seismic separation gap? Expand or Collapse
I would recommend separation as you suggest. The building will then consist of three independent structures that are separated by sufficient distance to prevent pounding.
Tech Is there guidance on creating service or door openings in seismic resisting shear walls? Expand or Collapse
There is good guidance to be found from a Google search of “what openings in seismic resisting shear walls are permissible?”
Tech Must the roof bracing be steel. Can timber be a more economic material for lateral load transfer at the roof level? Expand or Collapse
Roof bracing can be either steel or timber. Where inertial loads are large, steel structure is probably more suitable, but for smaller and lighter buildings, certainly consider using timber bracing. The challenge of timber bracing, of course, is in adequately designing and detailing the connections.
Tech I didn’t understand the help of columns at the edges of infill walls. Isn’t it going to prevent the movement of the frame? How does adding columns help? Expand or Collapse
In Confined Masonry Construction columns and beams are cast after the masonry is laid in order to confine the masonry and enable it to function as a shear wall. Read about it at https://world-housing.net/tutorials/confined-masonry-tutorials/. The columns and beams of confined masonry construction are not intended to work as moment frames, but rather just as confining elements for low-rise masonry construction. The columns will withstand the tensions and compressions arising from overturning moments on the wall.
Tech How do we do ductile detailing in steel structures? Expand or Collapse
It depends on what sort of members are to be ductile. I suggest you ask Google and you will find a lot of helpful material there. But the overall approach is to ensure yielding occurs in designated areas (plastic hinges) and that all members and connections are stronger to avoid brittle failure. In other words, a Capacity Design approach is used. 
Tech In the era of computer analysis, how would an engineer check that the flow of lateral forces is actually representative? In my experience, as long as the members look okay, no one complains. Expand or Collapse

It is very important that an engineer understands the load paths in a building. One check would be to compare the sum of the seismic loads against the base shear and the sum of all the shears at the base of the columns forming the moment resisting frames. Also, you could do a quick manual check that the overturning moment on the structure generates the correct tensions and compressions in exterior members. I would also carefully study the deflected shapes so check there were no unexpected irregularities.