Conceptual performance‐based seismic design using building‐level and story‐level decision support system

SUMMARY This paper summarizes the body of research on the development of a practical approach for conceptual performance‐based design, and the semi‐graphical design decision support system (DDSS) devised for its application. The objective of the study presented here is to improve the previous implementation of DDSS, which was based on representing losses at the building‐level, to a more refined form in which losses at the story/floor level are addressed. DDSS provides engineers with insight in making informed decisions on the choice of an effective structural system and its stiffness (period), base shear strength, and other important global structural parameters for target performance objectives, which are defined by placing limits on direct (monetary) loss and probability of collapse. A byproduct of this performance‐based design process is that it can be used as simplified performance‐based assessment process by only changing the flow of information from ground motion hazard to loss estimation. The DDSS proposed in this study is supported with a database of structural response parameters obtained for a wide‐range of combination in structural parameters of frame and wall structural systems. The proposed process is illustrated in an example to demonstrate its practicality. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.