Earthquakes, defective building materials, the type of soil intrinsic to the buildings’ location and/or their geometrical configuration are historically responsible for structural damage to buildings.
The geometric configuration of the architectural design has a great influence on the seismic behaviour of buildings. This configuration can present irregularities, both in the ground plan and in height, and these irregularities are penalised by a reduction in the response factor and increased vulnerability to earthquakes. The values of this reduction vary according to the type of irregularity, the code and the system applied.
To avoid such problems, Amusement Logic takes these structural design criteria into account and, from the early stages of the project, our architectural and structural departments work together to implement the optimal solution for the project.
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By Jean Carlos Soto, Senior Structural Engineer in Amusement Logic’s Structures Dept.
