Seismic assessment of residential building typologies: emphasis on masonry buildings

Following the seismic events that shook Albania in November 2019, more than 14,000 buildings were impacted, resulting in 51 fatalities, over 3000 injuries, and displacing around fourteen thousand residents from their homes. The majority of these affected individuals were concentrated in highly populated Tirana and Durres. This result was expected because of the predominant building type in the region, which is characterized by unreinforced masonry structures that have not been subjected to recent assessments or rehabilitation initiatives. The study outlines observed issues and challenges, leading to an analytical investigation into the seismic capacity of various masonry building types observed during post-earthquake reconnaissance. Nineteen masonry structures, ranging from 2 to 6 stories, were selected to correspond to frequently used typified projects in construction. Based on the laboratory test results assessing the characteristics of structural wall parts, analytical models for each building were created. Nonlinear static analysis was employed to estimate the seismic displacement capacities of each building. To further explore the importance of the findings, the nonlinear behavior of a group of representative buildings was analyzed in relation to the seismic sequences that occurred during the 2019 Albania earthquakes. The outcomes of this study are believed to be generalizable to various similar buildings and applicable to a wide range of masonry structures.