Seismic risk assessment, damage estimation, and strengthening of seismic construction standards in Morocco

The increasing interest in seismic risk assessment in Morocco is due to the growing frequency of earthquakes, such as the one in Al Haouz in 2023, and the rapid population expansion in these areas. This study focuses on regions with moderate to high seismic activity to better understand the seismic risk in these areas. A critical aspect of this assessment is establishing damage (or fragility) curves, which are necessary for assessing damage levels and making decisions regarding the renovation or demolition of structures. However, a shortfall in seismic regulations is the constant behavior factor, regardless of seismicity level (zones 3, 4, and 5) or structure height. Moroccan seismic regulations (RPS2000) and international standards generally advocate for a fixed value of the behavior factor but often neglect crucial parameters such as structure height and local seismic intensity.