Environmental Impact Seismic Assessment: Application of Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering Methodologies to Optimize Environmental Performance

Recent disasters and organizations such as SPUR have identified and highlighted a need for a shift away from designing code-minimum buildings that are life-safe but often "disposable." An important piece of this shift requires an understanding of buildings' life-cycle costs including a consideration of the associated environmental impacts induced by earthquake damage. Appropriate detailing of nonstructural components, the use of high-performance structural systems that outperform typical code-based designs, and consideration of the interactions between structural and nonstructural systems can greatly reduce expected damage and minimize the environmental impacts associated with seismic damage throughout a building's life. To evaluate seismic force-resisting systems and weigh their relative long term environmental impacts, the expected seismic damage throughout a building's lifespan and the environmental impact associated with that damage must be quantified. A method for performing such an evaluation has been developed by the authors and is discussed. Results of case study projects are presented and compared, along with lessons learned from the case studies and applications.