Earthquake insurance portfolio analysis of wood-frame houses in south-western British Columbia, Canada

A simplified 3D model for soil-structure interaction with radiation damping and free field input

A performance-based adaptive methodology for the seismic evaluation of multi-span simply supported deck bridges

A performance-based adaptive methodology for the seismic assessment of highway bridges is proposed. The proposed methodology is based on an Inverse (I), Adaptive (A) application of the Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM), with the capacity curve of the bridge derived through a Displacement-based Adaptive Pushover (DAP) analysis. For this reason, the acronym IACSM is used to identify the proposed methodology. A number of Performance Levels (PLs), for which the seismic vulnerability and seismic risk of the bridge shall be evaluated, are identified. Each PL is associated to a number of Damage States (DSs) of the critical members of the bridge (piers, abutments, joints and bearing devices). The IACSM provides the earthquake intensity level (PGA) corresponding to the attainment of the selected DSs, using over-damped elastic response spectra as demand curves. The seismic vulnerability of the bridge is described by means of fragility curves, derived based on the PGA values associated to each DS. The seismic risk of the bridge is evaluated as convolution integral of the product between the fragility curves and the seismic hazard curve of the bridge site. In this paper, the key aspects and basic assumptions of the proposed methodology are presented first. The IACSM is then applied to nine existing simply supported deck bridges, characterized by different types of piers and bearing devices. Finally, the IACSM predictions are compared with the results of nonlinear response time-history analysis, carried out using a set of seven ground motions scaled to the expected PGA values.

Bridge standards and procedures manual

Handbook of Lighting Design

Wide interest has developed in light and lighting, not least because the growing awareness of architectural quality has given rise to an increased demand for good architectural lighting. Standardised lighting concepts may have sufficed to light the concrete architecture of the recent past, but the varied and distinctive architecture of modern-day buildings requires equally differentiated and distinctive lighting. An extensive range of light sources and luminaires are available for this task; with technical progress the scope of lighting technology has expanded, and this has in turn led to the development of increasingly more specialised lighting equipment and tools. It is this fact that makes it increasingly difficult for the lighting designer to be adequately informed regarding the comprehensive range of lamps and luminaires available and to decide on the correct technical solution to meet the lighting requirements of a specific project. The Handbook of Lighting Design covers the basic principles and practice of architectural lighting. It exists as much as a teaching aid, e.g. for students of architecture, as a reference book for lighting designers. The Handbook does not intend to compete with the existing comprehensive range of specialist literature on lighting engineering, nor to be added to the limited number of beautifully illustrated volumes containing finished projects. The Handbook aims to approach and deal with the subject of architectural lighting in a practical and comprehensible manner. Background information is provided through a chapter dedicated to the history of lighting. The second part of the Handbook deals with the basics of lighting technology and surveys light sources, control gear and luminaires available. The third part deals with concepts, strategies and the processes involved in lighting design. In the fourth part there is a comprehensive collection of design concepts for the most frequent requirements of interior lighting. The glossary, index and bibliography provided to assist users of this Handbook in their daily work facilitate the search for information or further literature.

Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings

The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings (AEDG-SR; the Guide) is intended to provide a simple approach for contractors and designers who create retail buildings up to 20,000 ft2. Application of the recommendations in the Guide should result in small retail buildings with 30% energy savings when compared to those same retail buildings designed to the minimum requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999. This document contains recommendations and is not a minimum code or standard. It is intended to be used in addition to existing codes and standards and is not intended to circumvent them. This Guide represents a way, but not the only way, to build energy-efficient small retail buildings that use significantly less energy than those built to minimum code requirements. The recommendations in this Guide provide benefits for the owner while maintaining quality and functionality of the space.
The scope of this Guide covers small retail buildings up to 20,000 ft2 in size that use unitary heating and air-conditioning equipment. Buildings of this size with these HVAC system configurations represent a significant amount of commercial retail space in the United States. This Guide provides straightforward recommendations and how-to tips to facilitate its use by anyone in the construction process who wants to produce more energy-efficient buildings.

A Designers’ Simple Guide to BS EN 1997

Aims of the Guide
The Guide seeks to:
a) give readers a simple explanation of the new suite9 of complementary geotechnical design, construction, investigation and testing documents that will largely replace the suite of national BSI codes and standards over the next few years10;
b) clarify the meanings of new terminology, to explain design calculations and methods that are not covered explicitly in current Codes, to present easy-to-understand explanations of how the new methods work and to do this using simple design examples.
c) explain how to implement the new suite of documents in order to comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations.
What the Guide contains.
This Designers’ Guide contains the following additional Sections:
2. A brief overview of BS EN 1997-1 - Geotechnical design, general rules.
3. Obtaining geotechnical design parameters.
4. Design calculations for foundations and retaining structures.
5. Other geotechnical design and construction matters.
6. European geotechnical construction standards
7. How the new geotechnical Codes and Standards will be applied and may impact on UK practices.
8. References and Bibliography.
9. Appendices.

Site Preparation for the new Hong Kong International Airport - Design, Construction and Performance of the Airport Platform