Performance Based Design
Performance Based Design, or PBD, is a state-of-the-art practice which allows the structural engineer to overcome traditional limitations of prescriptive building code regulations. An example of a prescriptive building code regulation is the code limitation that a shear wall building cannot be taller than 240 feet in a high seismic zone.
Several site specific “performance objectives” must be established for a project utilizing PDB:
• The building should remain serviceable during a frequent earthquake.
• The building should be life safe during a design basis earthquake.
• The building should not collapse during the maximum possible earthquake.
Nonlinear dynamic analysis is often utilized in PBD to establish that the structural design will achieve these performance objectives.
High-rise buildings and seismic retrofit of existing buildings are normally the best candidates to benefit from utilizing PBD. Increasing the efficiency in the use of structural materials is the primary goal in using PBD, thus, resulting in construction cost savings while also achieving risk mitigation.
John A. Martin & Associates has been on the forefront of utilizing PBD in the practice of structural engineering. In 2005, the Los Angeles Tall Buildings Structural Design Council issued the landmark document “An Alternate Procedure for Seismic Analysis and Design of Tall Buildings Located in the Los Angeles Region”. This document outlines PBD procedures and has been adopted by the City of Los Angeles as an acceptable methodology for the design of high-rise buildings. Farzad Naeim, Barry Schindler, and Trailer Martin of our office were all involved in the development of this document. Currently a computational engine and user interface for a new generation of PBD is being developed by John A. Martin & Associates.
If you believe your project may benefit from utilizing Performance Based Design feel free to call our office. We would be pleased to discuss the project with you. We offer PBD structural design services, PBD evaluation of existing structures, and peer review services for PBD structural designs performed by other engineering offices.