Resilience-based performance evaluation and design of buildings for multiple hazards

Performance of buildings under the effects of natural hazards plays a central role in community resilience. This dissertation focuses on addressing this role through a) characterization of the multihazard resilience currently provided by codes and standards; b) identification of ways to improve resilience through performance-based design; and c) development of a resilience-based building design methodology. To assess the level of resilience already provided by current codes and standards and identify shortcomings, a framework for resilience-based performance evaluation of buildings under multiple hazards is developed and used to assess two code-based building designs—one designed for Boston and the other for San Francisco—under wind and earthquake hazards over a 50-year lifespan. Findings suggest a need for improved seismic performance for the building designed for San Francisco, due primarily to influence from low-severity damage states and permanent drift damage. The methodology is then used to assess the influence of stiffness, strength, and deformation capacity (referred to as the basic design variables) on building performance, identifying effective design strategies for the proposed framework. Results suggest that stiffness increases could be focused primarily in the lower ~40% of stories while strength increases should be applied uniformly over the building’s height. Leveraging lessons learned through analysis of the basic design variables, a multiobjective optimization design methodology is developed. It is first used to optimize designs of 4, 7, 10, and 15-story buildings and assess—by comparison—the effectiveness of building code functionality criteria, which are found to be generally effective. The results also demonstrate the potential benefits of efficient proportioning of the basic design variables through multiobjective optimization by achieving 30%-45% reduction of lost functionality with less than 2% increase in initial cost. Each component of the methodology is then expounded through detailed design of a 7-story RC moment frame building, along with supporting methods and models needed to make the methodology practical for design including simplified structural models, convergence criteria for multiple objectives, and a post-Pareto pruning approach.