On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 11:00am – 12:30pm Pacific Time, findings from the recently-completed NEES TIPS (Tools for Isolation and Protective Systems) project will be presented in a NEES/EERI webinar on Base-Isolated Buildings.
Seismic isolation has long been regarded as an effective technique to enhance the seismic performance of structures, but applications to new buildings has been limited in the United States. The following reasons have often been given for the slow growth of application for seismic isolation systems: the high cost premium of isolation coupled with inability to convey the potential benefit to building owners; lack of field or laboratory data on full-scale, realistic buildings; and uncertainty about the response of isolated structures in extreme ground motions that exceed design levels.
The November 20 webinar, co-presented by the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) will focus on three main topic areas: 1) findings from a full-scale test program on isolated and conventional structures conducted at E-Defense; 2) findings from limit state tests on isolated buildings conducted at the University at Buffalo NEES facility; and 3) results from comparative life cycle cost-benefit analysis of base-isolated buildings.
Presenters will include Keri Ryan, University of Nevada, Reno; Anthony Giamonna, Nabih Youssef & Associates; Gilberto Mosqueda, University of California, San Diego; and Stephen A. Mahin, University of California, Berkeley.