Seismic Restraint and Bracing for Non-Structural Building Components

Earthquakes are non-predictable natural disasters. It is almost an impossible task for scientists to accurately foresee the timing of a future earthquake. What can be done is to observe the results of past earthquakes, collect empirical data and analyze these for estimating seismic forces. The geographical locations where potential earthquakes may occur is well established by science. Based on these two facts buildings and facilities can be constructed to be resilient and survive major earthquakes with minimal damage.

When buildings are designed and constructed, an engineer’s priority is the resilience of the structure. But this leads to the false assumption where investors assume that their buildings are “earthquake proof”. Not enough attention is paid to the building contents, especially the non-structural building components, such as Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) installations and also architectural components. In modern buildings these components account for a considerable amount of the overall investment and they play a crucial role in making the buildings habitable. Recent surveys have firmly established that in developed countries non-structural building components account for the majority of the earthquake damage. Structural damage has been reduced to minimal levels.

If non-structural building components are properly designed and constructed, not only can we assure the life safety of the occupants but we can also achieve fully operational performance of buildings such as hospitals, police and fire stations, which are necessary in providing emergency relief after a major earthquake.