Typological Evolution of Old Industrial Masonry Buildings in Eastern Canada for Holistic Seismic Assessment, Upgrading and Reuse

Old industrial unreinforced masonry (URM) constructions comprise a significant portion of the existing building stock in Eastern Canada. These complex yet still under-researched structural systems have been increasingly targeted for adaptive reuse projects in recent years. Although repurposing existing edifices is identified by provincial legislation as the way forward to preserve architectural heritage and maximize sustainability, the 2020 National Building Code of Canada requires old buildings undergoing major renovations to be seismically evaluated as modern ones. Despite the vulnerability of old industrial URM buildings to earthquakes, scarce knowledge and lack of ad-hoc seismic assessment and upgrading guidelines local practitioners have often translate in oversized retrofits or demolitions. Such invasive interventions pose a serious threat to Eastern Canada’s built environment. This research uncovers recurrent structural characteristics of Eastern Canada’s old industrial URM buildings, vital yet presently missing data for enabling their holistic seismic assessment, upgrading and reuse. To inform onsite research and testing in the framework of a larger research program at McGill University, a comprehensive archival study was conducted and herein presented that consolidates existing building inventories to identify recurrent construction techniques, materials and key architectural features in different historical periods. Produced outcomes enabled us to classify recurrent structural typologies from an earthquake engineering perspective, as well as to identify a critical buildings representative of Eastern Canada’s trends in Montréal, where most assets are located. Results from our pioneering research will constitute a solid foundation on which to inform local engineers and develop informed seismic evaluation and risk mitigation strategies.