Search

The poor seismic performance of schools has made their assessment and retrofit a priority in moderate and high seismic zones. Given the large building inventory to evaluate, rapid seismic screening methods are often implemented to prioritize detailed interventions. This paper describes schools' specific characteristics to be considered when applying these procedures, and shows how the FEMA154 approach can be modified to consider them. The adapted method is a score assignment procedure based on the following six essential characteristics: seismicity, lateral load resisting system, construction year, potential structural weaknesses (or irregularities), potential for pounding of adjacent buildings, and local soil conditions. The method is illustrated with case studies, applied to 101 school buildings in Quebec. Results show that most of the parameters considered influence the final scores. In particular, the treatment of structural weaknesses and potential for pounding proved effective in differentiating the likely seismic performance of the buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]