Seismic Design Considerations for Flat-Plate Construction

Abstract

Design algorithms expressed in current building codes and practiced in design offices focus attention on earthquake induced lateral forces, and away from earthquake induced lateral displacements. These procedures have led to development of structural systems in which a portion of the structural frame is designed to resist the total seismic design force while a substantial remainder of the structure is proportioned assuming it resists only gravity loads. This approach is commonly applied to design of slab-column systems in regions of high seismicity. For such systems, a displacement-oriented approach has advantages. Applications of the approach are described.